Destination Wetlands: Supporting Sustainable Tourism

Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Cover page: Top photo: Photographers in the Danube Delta ©Courtesy of Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority Bottom left: Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia ©Zambia Wildlife Authority; bottom right: Black-necked Crane ©Pankaj Chandan / WWF-India

Published jointly by the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

This report should be cited as: Destination wetlands: supporting sustainable tourism. 2012. Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Gland, Switzerland, & World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Madrid, Spain.

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Ramsar Convention Secretariat or the World Tourism Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Moreover the views expressed do not necessarily represent the decisions or the stated policy of the Ramsar Convention Secretariat or the World Tourism Organization, nor does citing of trade names or commercial processes constitute endorsement.

All authors of this report have confirmed that they do not have any conflict of interest in respect to its contents.

Reproduction of material from this publication for educational and other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior permission from the Ramsar Secretariat or the World Tourism Organization, providing full acknowledgement is given. Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism

Great White Pelicans in the Danube Delta ©Peter Lengyel 1. Snowy egret, California, USA © Klaus von Schwanebach

2. Birdwatching in the Laguna Llancanelo Ramsar Site in Argentina 1 2 © Heber Sosa

Contents

Forewords. 6

Acknowledgements. 9

Summary. 11

1. Introduction. 14 1.1 Wetlands and tourism...... 14 1.2 Tourism and the Ramsar Convention ...... 16 1.3 About this publication. 17

2. Wetland wise use and sustainable tourism. 20 2.1 Definitions and linkages. 20 2.2 An approach to achieving sustainable tourism . 24

3. Opportunities and challenges of tourism in wetlands. 26 3.1 Opportunities...... 26 3.1.1 Revenues for conservation. 27 3.1.2 Livelihoods and poverty alleviation...... 28 3.1.3 Support to local, regional and national economies...... 30 3.1.4 Awareness raising...... 30 3.2 Challenges...... 32 3.2.1 Environmental challenges...... 33 3.2.2 Socio-economic challenges. 34 3.2.3 The costs of managing tourism ...... 34

4 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism 1. Horses in Pestersko polje Ramsar Site in Serbia © Dragana Cavlovic

2. Palau 1 2 ©Nick Davidson

4. Managing tourism in and around wetlands. 35 4.1 Making tourism successful and sustainable ...... 36 4.2 Establishing clear plans and objectives...... 38 4.2.1 Wetland management planning. 38 4.2.2 Integrating tourism management into wetland conservation...... 40 4.3 Minimizing impacts from tourism in and around wetlands ...... 42 4.4 Ensuring benefits for local communities and businesses...... 44 4.5 Providing high quality tourism services and experiences for visitors. 46 4.6 Communication, education and awareness...... 50

5. Working with the tourism sector. 52 5.1 The tourism sector...... 53 5.1.1 How the tourism sector operates. 54 5.1.2 Different interests but common ground...... 55 5.2 Areas of interaction between wetland management authorities and the tourism sector . . . . 59 5.2.1 Access. 59 5.2.2 Visitor facilities...... 60 5.2.3 Local businesses supporting tourism...... 62 5.2.4 Interpretation and guiding ...... 64 5.2.5 Marketing, branding and promotion...... 65

6. Planning and Policies for wetlands and tourism . 71 6.1 Legal frameworks. 71 6.2 Wetland and tourism policies...... 72

7. References and additional materials. 76

Annex. 78 The Case Studies: an overview of their natural features and tourist activities...... 78

5 Taleb RifaI UNWTO Secretary General

Tourism is an extraordinary phenomenon of Organization’s (UNWTO) mandate. As the UN Romania, and that World Wetland Day in 2012 our times: one billion tourists are expected to specialized agency in the field of tourism we work was dedicated to the theme of “Wetlands and cross international borders in 2012. Another four to promote the development of responsible, Tourism, a great experience”. billion domestic tourists travel within their own sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Every year, millions of tourists see and experience countries every year. The need to travel, to know The recent UN Green Economy report confirms the wonders of nature in the wetlands, which different cultures, to meet people from other what UNWTO has been long advocating – that constitute one of tourism’s greatest assets and a continents, to be in contact with nature, is now increased investment in sustainable tourism can unique setting for many tourism activities. A great ingrained in the culture of our modern soci- boost the sector’s contribution to economic number of the world’s wetlands are in develop- ety. Tourism is at the same time a driver and a growth, development and particularly job ing countries. Sustainable tourism can generate consequence of globalization. As a major creation, while also addressing major environ- not only revenues for their conservation, but also economic sector, it is often the main source of mental challenges. income and livelihoods for the communities, thus income for developing countries, creating jobs contributing to poverty alleviation. and opportunities particularly for the vulnerable UNWTO and the Secretariat of the Ramsar segments of the population. Convention signed a Memorandum of I trust that this joint publication between UNWTO Cooperation in February 2010 as the starting and the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention will The continuous expansion of tourism, while con- point for effective and fruitful cooperation. Our be a step forward in raising awareness of the close stituting an effective tool to promote growth and organizations share a vision of the value of wet- relationships between wetlands and tourism and development, requires careful management. We lands, of the importance of their conservation in promoting good practices and recommenda- need to ensure that we maximize the economic and wise use, and of the benefits that sustainable tions on how they can achieve mutual benefits. and social benefits of this immense sector while tourism can generate. I am particularly pleased at the same time addressing its potential nega- with the designation of ‘Wetlands, Tourism and tive impacts on the environment and on our Recreation’ as the theme of Ramsar’s 11th meet- common heritage. Making tourism more sus- ing of the Conference of the Parties in Bucharest, tainable is at the core of the World Tourism

6 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Anada Tiega Ramsar Secretary General

The year 2012 marks the first time that the Ramsar well. Yet within the Convention we know only Sites and other wetlands will help management Convention has formally addressed tourism in too well the challenges of unsustainable tourism, authorities and others to foster sustainable tour- relation to wetlands at a Conference of the the potential damage to wetland ecosystems and ism in their countries, and to raise awareness Parties, and it is fitting that this is taking in local economies through the uncontrolled devel- about the vital role of our precious wetland re- place in partnership with the world’s leading opment of tourism infrastructure, inappropriate sources. As this publication goes to press, repre- authority on sustainable tourism, the World tourist behaviour, and poorly conceived tourism sentatives of the Ramsar member countries are Tourism Organization (UNWTO). strategies, policies and plans. preparing for the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties, set for Bucharest, Wetlands are amongst the most productive of As this publication draws upon the UNWTO’s Romania, in July 2012, the theme of which, the world’s ecosystems, providing a diversity of long experience in the field of tourism, we hope “Wetlands, Tourism, and Recreation”, indicates the ecosystem services that sustain our lives. This too that readers will also make practical use of the importance that they attach to these matters. includes ‘cultural’ ecosystem services, such as the UNWTO definition of ‘sustainable tourism’, which aesthetic, recreational, and spiritual values mani- shares with Ramsar’s ‘wise use principle’ the aim As we noted in our World Wetlands Day focus fested by many wetlands, and it is these services of maintaining ecological processes, as well as on tourism in February of this year, wetland that go far to explain the popularity of wetlands the recognition of cultural values and traditional tourism can be ‘a great experience’. Let us hope as tourist destinations attracting millions of visi- knowledge and the importance of creating op- that these lessons in managing sustainable tour- tors each year. portunities to sustain and improve livelihoods, ism can be put to good use by our readers and especially for those living in poverty. that wetland tourism will indeed be a great ex- Wetlands offer significant tourism opportunities perience for tourists, local communities, and the that can be a key source of income for many de- We hope that readers will learn much from the wetlands themselves! veloping countries, bringing economic benefits 14 case studies whose authors have shared to national and local economies and contribut- their successes – and sometimes their failures ing to local livelihoods. There is evidence too – in managing tourism in and around wetlands. that well-managed, sustainable tourism can con- We believe that the array of issues encountered tribute to wetland conservation and wise use as through these practical experiences from Ramsar

7 Ernest Coe Visitor centre at the Everglades National Park © National Park Service Photo, Rodney Cammauf

8 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Acknowledgements

This publication was drafted by Richard Tapper Borges (IUCN), Ramsar STRP members Christine M. Songco (Philippines), Grigore Baboianu (Tourism Consultant, Environment Business Prietto, Dave Pritchard, Robert McInnes, Archana (Romania), Murugaiyan Pugazhendhi (Seychelles), & Development Group) with contributions Chatterjee (WWF), Sandra Carvao (UNWTO), Rosana Cerkvenik and Gordana Beltram (Slovenia), from Sandra Hails and Monica Zavagli (Ramsar Tatiana Minaeva (WI) and Oliver Hillel (CBD) for Habib Abid (Tunisia), Linda Friar and Leslie Velarde Secretariat) and Luigi Cabrini (UNWTO). their ideas, inputs and very helpful reviews. (USA), Nguyen Duc Tu (Viet Nam), and David

Thanks to Heather MacKay (Ramsar STRP Many thanks also to the authors of the fourteen Campion (Banyan Tree Group). Chair), Lew Young, María Rivera, Tobias Salathé, case studies and other stories for their assistance Carmen Damien (Ministry of Environment and Paul Ouedraogo and Nick Davidson (Ramsar and commitment: Marcelo Beccaceci (Argentina), Forests, Romania), Vainuupo Jungblut, Sofia Secretariat) for their advice and input from the Catherine Jewell and Jenny Tomkins (Australia), Méndez and Kati Wenzel (Ramsar Secretariat) early stages of this work and to David Stroud Ricardo Jerozolimski, Marcello Lourenço, (Ramsar STRP member) for his thoughtful first have helped gathering information for some of Lauro Henrique de Paiva and Camila Rodrigues review of the draft. the case studies in this publication. (Brazil), Germán Galindo Hernández (Colombia), The Ramsar Secretariat and UNWTO are grate- Agu Leivits, Anneli Roosalu and Murel Merivee Finally, thanks to Dwight Peck (Ramsar Secre ful to Carlos Garcia Saez (CONANP Mexico), (Estonia), Pankaj Chandan (India), Judith Nyunja tariat), whose support and final editing have Ritesh Kumar (WI), Giulia Carbone (IUCN), María Ana (Kenya), Theresa R. Aquino and Angelique been invaluable.

9 Cypress and Great Egret in the Everglades, USA © National Park Service Photos, Rodney Cammauf

10 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Summary

Wetlands are amongst the most productive of the increased demands for tourism expansion Tourism in wetlands offers many positive the world’s ecosystems, providing services such and the potential negative impacts on the health opportunities at the national, regional and lo- as water, food, construction materials, transport, of wetlands, but also understanding that, if cal levels but also many challenges as well. The and coastline protection, as well as important managed sustainably, tourism can bring many opportunities can include economic benefits to opportunities for tourism and recreation, which benefits, environmental, social and economic. national and local economies, support for local are also defined as ‘ecosystem services’. The scale To set a framework for managing tourism in livelihoods and local cultures, and, importantly, of tourism at the global level is impressive. In 2012, and around wetlands, the UN World Tourism support for wetland conservation, too. The case international tourism is expecting to reach 1 billion Organization’s definition of sustainable tourism is studies illustrate well the challenges encountered international arrivals and is forecast to rise to an important tool for the Convention in applying in wetland tourism – the impacts on wetlands 1.8 billion by 2030. Thus the tourism phenom- sustainable practices in wetlands. Using this defi- from the development and operation of tourism enon can be expected to continue to expand nition, sustainable tourism shares the same aim of facilities, such as degradation of wetland areas for as more people in more countries around the maintaining ecological character as ‘wise use’ as extraction of building materials, infrastructures, world have growing affluence and time to travel. defined by the Convention. At the time of writing, over-abstraction of water, inappropriate waste Domestic tourism is even more significant than it is hoped that this approach will be included as disposal, and so on, as well as the direct impact international, with estimates pointing to 4 billion part of a Resolution on tourism and wetlands of tourists on wetland ecosystems through noise domestic tourists worldwide. to be adopted by the Convention’s Contracting pollution, excessive trampling, disturbance of Parties when they meet in July 2012. wild species, amongst others. Wetlands are a significant part of the global tourism experience and are likely therefore also to be Fourteen wetland case studies form the core of This publication also refers to already existing a key part of the expansion in demand for tour- this publication and were selected to exemplify guidelines, including Ramsar’s wise use guide- ism locations. People are naturally attracted to both the diversity of wetland types around the lines, and to other available materials that are water, to coastal wetlands such as coral reefs and world and the diversity in the scale of wetland generally relevant to tourism management but beaches, and to inland wetlands such as lakes and tourism in Wetlands of International Importance not necessarily specifically focused on wetlands. rivers, reflecting the strong bond between people (or ‘Ramsar Sites’), and to illustrate effective A range of such materials are cited throughout and nature as well as the unique aesthetic appeal approaches in managing tourism for the wetland the text and compiled in Chapter 7. of wetlands. sector. This information is particularly addressed to wetland management authorities but should The Ramsar Convention has only recently also be relevant to many others. formally addressed wetland tourism, recognizing

11 Based on the case studies and other examples, a set of key messages have been identified and summarized opposite. For more detail on these messages, readers are encouraged to go beyond this summary and read the more detailed experiences in the main text of the publication and to go further yet again by consulting the full texts on each case study, which are available online at www.ramsar.org/tourism.

Nature trail in the wilderness core area of Kuresoo, Estonia ©Mati Kose

12 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Key messages Managing tourism in and around wetlands • Wetland management planning and plans • Meaningful involvement of local communi- • Offering enriching experiences at wetlands are essential tools for resolving the multiple ties in decision making is a central element is important for attracting tourists but needs issues arising from activities in wetlands, of both wetland wise use and successful careful planning to ensure that visitation including tourism. tourism. rates and activities are ecologically and socially sustainable. • Development plans for tourism should be • Well-managed tourism development in and integrated with wetland management plans around wetlands ensures that benefits ac- • Communication and education about for biodiversity conservation and compat- crue to local communities and contribute to wetlands help to raise awareness about ible with the objectives for conservation and sustainable livelihoods. wetland values and wetland biodiversity, wise use of each site. and win support from tourists and others for • Dialogue among different stakeholders is wetland conservation. • Negative impacts from existing and central to determining what a destination future tourism activities can be minimized can offer sustainably, what its communities by appropriate management planning and will accept, and what its businesses can of- monitoring. fer in light of the market demand for tourism and visitor satisfaction.

Working with the tourism sector • Understanding how the tourism sector works • Support by wetland managers for local busi- • Provision of facilities for visitors can be used helps when planning for a development of nesses and communities to help them better to control where tourism takes place within a tourism that is both commercially viable and provide local tourism services brings impor- site and so help to minimize adverse impacts. compatible with wetland conservation. tant long-term conservation benefits. • Marketing and promotion are important for • Working with the tourism sector at a wetland • Tour operators promote those sites where attracting visitors, but they need to be com- destination is the best way to ensure the visitors receive good experiences and patible with the types and levels of tourism right mix of resources and skills for tourism services: high quality guiding and interpreta- that can be supported without adverse im- and conservation. tion of a site can play an important part in pacts at a site. achieving those results. • Effective interaction between tourism and wetland conservation occurs where the • Tourism potential is heavily influenced by overlap between the mutual interest of each considerations of access. sector is identified through dialogue.

Planning and policies • National, regional and local planning and • Well-conceived national and local policies • Appropriate legislation and its effective en- policies are key factors in environmental for tourism are crucial and must fit comfort- forcement is important to prevent damage conservation and in ensuring that tourism ably within wider strategic policies related to to the environment and to tourism assets, contributes equitably to the development of land use. to protect the rights of host communities local economy. and enable them to benefit from tourism, and to ensure that the future development of tourism is only permitted where it will be sustainable.

13 What are wetlands?

Wetlands are broadly defined under the Ramsar Convention and include rivers, lakes, ponds, mangroves, coral reefs, reservoirs, mudflats, sandy beaches, salt pans… and more. They include areas that can be coastal or inland, natural or artificial.

1. Introduction

1.1 Wetlands and tourism Wetlands are amongst the most productive of the world’s ecosystems. They provide essential services for people such as water, food, construction materials, transport, coastline protection – as well as a place for tourism and recreation. Worldwide, wetlands offer significant opportunities for tourism and recreation, generating income for governments, for the tourism industry itself, and for local communities as well.

14 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Value of coral reefs Coral reefs, considered as wetlands under the Ramsar Convention, are major attractions for tourists. Studies estimate the economic benefits of coral reefs at nearly USD 30 billion each year, generated mostly from nature- based tourism, including scuba diving and snorkeling. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005

Kakadu is a living cultural landscape, home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years ©Peter Eve, Tourism NT

People are naturally attracted to water, to coastal wetlands such as coral reefs and beaches, and to The global scale of tourism inland wetlands such as lakes and rivers. This re- In 2012, there will be about one billion international tourist arrivals, rising to a predicted 1.8 bil- flects strong bonds between people and nature lion by 2030 (UNWTO 2011). Domestic tourism in many countries is likely to expand even faster. as well as the unique aesthetic appeal of wet- Economic activity generated by travel and tourism creates around 5% of global GDP and sup- lands. Wetlands and their wildlife are indeed a key ports an estimated 6-7% of the world’s jobs. part of the global tourism experience, from mass tourism to specialist tourism in small groups. International tourism expenditure reached 1 trillion USD in 2011 (UNWTO press release, 7 May 2012). With half of all international tourists travelling to wetlands, especially to coastal areas, Yet as with any natural resource, the world’s wet- and the additional value of domestic tourism and recreational day trips, the economic value of lands can be enjoyed by tourists today and tomor- wetland tourism is truly enormous. row only if their visits are managed sustainably.

15 1 2 3

1. Cayapas-Mataje Ecological Reserve, Ecuador 1.2 Tourism and the Ramsar Convention ©Xavier Cornejo Although tourism in wetlands is a widespread 2. School children taking part in environmental activity, it has never been considered in detail by projects in la Conejera, Colombia ©FHLC the Ramsar Convention. In July 2012, however, Wetlands, Tourism and Recreation will be the theme 3. Aerial view of Abrohlos, Brazil ©Bernardete Barbosa of Ramsar’s 11th meeting of the Conference of the

4. Biking around Ichkeul Lake,Tunisia Parties (Bucharest, Romania). For the first time the © Photos DGF Convention will formally address tourism as one of the many ‘ecosystem services’ that wetlands deliver. The Conference will identify what countries need to do at national and local levels to ensure that wetland tourism is sustainable, consistent with the Convention’s ‘wise use’ principle. It is hoped that by the time this publication has been launched, the Conference of the Parties will have adopted a Resolution on tourism and wetlands.

The Convention launched its focus on wetlands and tourism on February 2nd, World Wetlands Day 2012, with the slogan Wetlands and Tourism, a Great Experience. This campaign met with great enthusiasm, reflecting the importance of tourism in and around wetlands as a potential source of income both locally and nationally and as an opportunity to involve local communities in natural resource management.

16 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism What is a Ramsar Site?

A Ramsar Site, or Wetland of International Importance, is a wetland area designated under the Ramsar Convention by the national government of a Member State. Currently there are over 2,000 such sites covering over 192 million hectares: an impressive global network of wetlands that meet criteria related to their biodiversity and uniqueness.

1.3 About this publication This publication highlights the considerable value the private sector (including those investing in, These wetlands are not problem-free, however! of wetlands for tourism and the economic ben- operating or developing tourism in and around As at many Ramsar Sites, the challenges that wet- efits that tourism can bring for the management wetlands). land managers face are diverse, and they include of wetland sites. There is a clear need to manage issues of water quantity and quality, overexploita- The publication is not intended to promote tour- wetland tourism wisely through sound policies, tion, the demand for drainage, and development ism at Ramsar Sites or other wetlands. The deci- planning, and awareness-raising – in other words, for other land uses. sion to allow tourism activities at a site should by putting the principles of sustainable tourism always be carefully assessed by those responsible This publication presents lessons learned from into action. Through case studies and other ma- for managing the wetland based upon their con- the case studies to help answer the following terials, this publication demonstrates the conservation objectives for the site. It should always questions: tributions that sustainable tourism practices in be made in accordance with Ramsar’s wise use and around wetlands can make to conservation, • What makes tourism successful and sustainable principles. Wetlands provide critical ecosystem poverty alleviation (through improvement of lo- at individual wetland sites? services and the development of tourism might cal livelihoods), regional and national economies, compromise other important services for hu- • What are the practical ways by which managers and support to local cultures. It also highlights mans. Managing such ‘trade-offs’ provides chal- can ensure that tourism takes place in harmony the associated risks and impacts when tourism is lenges for wetland decision makers. with objectives for wetland conservation and not well managed and is not sustainable. wise use? For this publication, 14 case studies on tourism The publication also provides useful references in wetlands, 13 of which are Ramsar Sites, have • How can wetland sites, tourism businesses and to existing guidelines on sustainable tourism as been selected to cover different wetland types public authorities work together to achieve this? well as to many other relevant materials on devel- around the world and to examine the diversity in oping and managing sustainable tourism. It also the scale of tourism, the management processes notes, wherever appropriate, the relevant Ramsar in place, the many challenges encountered and, guidance that could usefully be consulted. The wherever possible, the management solutions publication should be relevant to wetland site employed. managers and management authorities, tourism and wetland policy-makers and planners, and

17 Everglades Danube Delta UNITED STATES ROMANIA OF AMERICA 580,000 ha 621,000 ha River, delta, river and marine levees, flood- Freshwater and wet prairies, sub-tropical forests, saltmarshes, plains, brackish lake and lagoon complex, mangrove forests, beaches, dunes, brackish water estuaries beaches, dunes and coastal waters

Skocjan Caves SLOVENIA 41,300 ha Soomaa River catchment with meadows, forests, floodplains, ESTONIA karst underground water cave system 39,639 ha Raised bogs, rivers, swamp forests, floodplain meadows Ichkeul TUNISIA 12,600 ha Lake surrounded by Mediterranean scrub and forest

Abrohlos Marine National Park Humedal la Conejera BRAZIL COLOMBIA 91,300 ha 59 ha Coral reefs, seagrass River, marshland beds, mangroves, and forest enclave beaches, sandbanks in urban area Lake Nakuru KENYA 18,800 ha Port Launay Wetland Ibera Marshes Shallow alkaline lake in SEYCHELLES ARGENTINA an enclosed basin, 121 ha 1,300,00 ha surrounded by marshes, Mangroves, mud flats Lakes, marshes, river and forests grassland and forest and streams

18 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism This map shows the location of the 14 case studies sites. Further details about the size, wetland type and level of tourism at each location are shown in the table in the Annex. Case study texts are available at www.ramsar.org/tourism

Tsomoriri INDIA 12,000 ha High altitude freshwater lake and marshes

Kakadu National Park Ba Be Lake AUSTRALIA VIET NAM Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park 1,979,766 ha 10,480 ha PHILIPPINES Forested wetlands, saltmarsh, Freshwater lake surrounded by forests and 96,828 ha mudflats, springs, seasonal limestone karst landscape Coral reefs freshwater marshes, mangroves

19 2. Wetland wise use and sustainable tourism

The need for a more sustainable tourism is now marine and freshwater recreation, adventure widely appreciated by the tourism sector: many and cultural tourism, hiking, and nature-based leading and specialist tourism businesses are tourism, including ‘ecotourism’. committed to working towards the greater sustainability of their enterprises. Sustainable 2.1 Definitions and linkages tourism – and the concepts of ‘green tourism’ Wise use of wetlands is the central principle of or ‘responsible tourism’ which are based on sus- the Ramsar Convention. Is sustainable tourism tainable tourism principles - are of growing im- consistent with this? portance to tourists themselves and therefore for tourism marketing. Sustainability practices The definition of sustainable tourism adopted by are key for tourism businesses since they help to the UNWTO specifically states that sustainable protect the features that appeal to tourists – at- tourism should “make optimal use of environ- tractive and interesting landscapes, wildlife, cul- mental resources that constitute a key element in ture and local traditions. They ensure that these tourism development, maintaining essential eco- features continue to generate economic benefits logical processes and helping to conserve natural for both business and local communities. heritage and biodiversity.” Thus sustainable tourism as defined by UNWTO is indeed consistent Sustainable tourism, as adopted by the tourism with Ramsar’s wise use principle. sector, and “wise use” as the fundamental approach for wetland management and conserva- There are additional elements in UNWTO’s definition share the common aim of maintaining eco- tion that are consistent with Ramsar Resolutions logical processes, as well as other common goals. and guidelines, including the recognition of cul- They provide a firm foundation on which to man- tural values and traditional knowledge and the age tourism in wetlands. Above all, wise use and desirability of creating opportunities to sustain sustainable tourism are about practical action by and improve peoples’ livelihoods, especially for wetland managers and tourism businesses. the poor.

Many types of tourism take place in and around wetlands. These can include mass tourism,

Conservation and Wise Use under the Convention The Mission of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.

In its simplest terms, wise use of wetlands under the Convention means the maintenance of their ecological character, including the ecosystem processes and services.

A full definition of wise use is available in Volume 1 of the Ramsar Wise Use Handbooks (Ramsar Convention Secretariat, 2010)

20 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Canoeing - the greatest spring adventure in Soomaa, Estonia ©Mati Kose

21 UNWTO’s Definition of Sustainable Tourism: Expressed simply, sustainable tourism can be defined as:

“Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”.

Sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established among these three dimensions to guarantee long-term sustainability.

Thus, sustainable tourism should: 1. Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity. 2. Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to intercultural understanding and tolerance. 3. Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary.

Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience for tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting relevant sustainable practices.

Source: UNEP and UNWTO, 2005. Local homestay at village Kozok, India ©Pankaj Chandan / WWF-India

22 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism 23 2.2 An approach to achieving sustainable tourism Sustainable tourism means putting principles of A useful approach is already well documented by sustainable development into practice in tour- the United Nations Environment Programme and ism. It applies to all those involved in this activity the United Nations World Tourism Organisation – not just businesses, but also at the destinations (UNWTO) (see box). where tourism takes place, local and national government, and, of course, tourists themselves.

UNEP & UNWTO - An agenda for sustainable tourism, from Making Tourism More Sustainable: a Guide for Policy Makers This publication provides practical guidance on sustainable tourism to policy makers. It includes a summary of the priority issues for an agenda for sustainable tourism in relation to the economic, social and environmental impacts of tourism. This provides a framework to assist the development of policies for more sustainable tourism based on:

• minimizing the negative impacts of tourism on society and the environment; and • maximizing tourism’s positive and creative contribution to local economies, the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, and the quality of life of hosts and visitors.

The twelve aims for an agenda for sustainable tourism are:

1) Economic viability 5) Visitor fulfillment 9) Physical integrity 2) Local prosperity 6) Local control 10) Biological diversity 3) Employment quality 7) Community well-being 11) Resource efficiency 4) Social equity 8) Cultural richness 12) Environmental purity

The order in which these twelve aims are listed does not imply any order of priority: each is equally important.

Source: UNEP & UNWTO, 2005.

24 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Sunset in the Okavango Delta, Botswana © Alicia Wirz

25 3. Opportunities and challenges of tourism in wetlands

3.1 Opportunities Tourism creates a range of opportunities, and not Detailed economic studies on the benefits gener- just through the provision of jobs and other eco- ated by wetland tourism are not always available. nomic benefits. When it is well-planned and ef- Where these studies have been conducted, how- fectively managed, it can also increase awareness ever, they show that tourism can have major eco- of and support for conservation of the key re- nomic benefits for wetlands. In the Everglades, in The Green Fee Initiative in Palau sources on which tourism depends and presents the United States, this amounts to around USD an opportunity to create and strengthen com- 450 million in direct and indirect expenditures The Green Fee is part of the 35 USD departure tax for non- munity participation in wetland management. by tourists and from employment in the tourism Palauan passport holders to pay when leaving. Of this amount, sector. Furthermore, sites such as the Everglades 15 USD is paid into a national account managed by the Protected The economic benefits generated by tourism can are often used as icons in regional tourism mar- include gains that accrue regionally from tourist Area Network Fund. Community conservation groups can sub- keting, and may help attract many more regional expenditure (for example, on accommodation, mit project applications to the Fund. Tourists holidaying in Palau visitors in addition to those that take trips into the food, transport, guides); employment generated since November 2009 have helped to raise over one million park itself. Tourism incomes thus can support the both at a wetland site and more generally within dollars for the country’s protected areas. wise use of wetlands, which in turn sustains tour- local communities; and direct income for protect- ism activities. Source: SPREP, 2012 ed areas raised, for example, from entrance fees.

26 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism The Voluntary Conservation Levy (VCL) in Malaysian Borneo

Initiated by WWF through the Corridor for Life Project, the VCL initiative brings together local tourism operators committed to protecting the environment their businesses depend on. Visitors are encouraged to give a voluntary contribution of MYR 20 (~5 USD) per person that is donated to the Kinabatangan Corridor of Life Tourism Operators Association (KiTA) for conservation projects in the Kinabatangan river in Borneo. Flamingoes in Lake Nakuru, Kenya ©Amos Rono, KWS Source: WWF, 2011.

3.1.1 Revenues for conservation A protected area does not necessarily need to however. Lake Nakuru –one of Kenya’s ‘Premium authority goes beyond protected area manage- charge an entrance fee to be economically suc- Parks’ and an icon for the country’s tourism – ment to include assisting with the economic de- cessful as a resource for tourism. The main re- charges foreign visitors an entrance fee of USD velopment and environmental management of quirement is to ensure that sufficient funds are 80.00. This generates significant revenues for surrounding areas. This may not increase income reinvested into wetland management so that the Kenya Wildlife Service which manages this directly to the management authority, but it is the area remains a valued tourist destination. For and other National Parks. Overall around 70% of important in building support for wetland pro- example, Soomaa National Park in Estonia does Kenya’s international tourism is based around the tection and ensuring that facilities are suitably not charge an entrance fee, but has an active pro- country’s wildlife, so the mutual importance of planned and developed. gramme of working with local businesses to de- biodiversity conservation and tourism is clear. velop their ability to create local jobs and income Thus the income generated from tourism can from tourists visiting the park. This has wider contribute to the costs of managing its impacts economic benefits and justifies continued on the environment. This creates benefits for national funding for Park conservation. both conservation and local economies. In some Many wetlands and protected areas with signifi- sites, such as Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in cant levels of tourism do charge entrance fees, the Philippines, the role of the management

27 3.1.2 Livelihoods and poverty alleviation In considering tourism as a tool for alleviating that tourists pay to enter is used to fund livelihood Globally, tourism is the primary source of foreign poverty, the UNWTO has identified seven mecha- initiatives in communities in the region. Similarly, earnings for the world’s 49 least developed coun- nisms through which the poor can benefit from in the Parc Nacional das Quirimbas (Mozambique), tries, and it generates 45% of the total exports in tourism: 20% percent of entrance fees are allocated to support community activities (Republic of services of developing countries (UNWTO, 2008). 1. Employment of the poor in tourism enterprises It is a principal export of services in over 80% of Mozambique, Ministry of Tourism, 2009). 2. Supply of goods and services to tourism enter- developing countries and the main export of one In the Ibera Marshes in Argentina, the develop- prises by the poor or by enterprises third of them. In some developing countries, no- ment of attractive conservation-based tourism tably small island states, tourism can account for 3. Direct sales of goods and services to visitors by activities has revived the economy of Colonia over 25% of GDP. the poor (informal economy) Carlos Pellegrini, near the Ramsar Site “Lagunas y Esteros del Iberá”. This has created new jobs Practical benefits to the poor through tourism 4. Establishment and running of small, micro or and alternative livelihood opportunities so that can come from the effective channeling of visi- community-based tourism enterprises or joint the local inhabitants stay employed in the town tor spending and associated investments at lo- ventures by the poor (formal economy) cal scales. However, it is clear that at present this rather than migrating to cities to look for work. 5. Redistribution of proceeds from taxes or does not always happen, and the particular rela- Around 90% of the population is now supported charges on tourists or tourism enterprises tionship between wetlands, sustainable tourism through work in the tourism sector. and poverty reduction is complex and worthy of 6. Voluntary giving and support by tourists and further investigation to increase the contribution tourism enterprises of tourism development to poverty alleviation 7. Investment in infrastructure stimulated by (van der Duim & Henkens, 2007; UNWTO 2010a). tourism also benefitting the poor in the locality, Because tourism is so significant for the econo- directly or through support to other sectors. mies of many developing countries, it raises two Source: UNWTO, 2004. important questions: As examples of the practical application of these • How well does it contribute to wider development mechanisms, at Tubbataha Reefs National Park objectives? (Philippines), 10% percent of the conservation fee • Is tourism as effective as it could be?

Development objectives Development objectives, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), are not limited to economic performance. The eight MDGs set worldwide objectives for reducing extreme poverty and hunger, improving health and education, empowering women and ensuring environmental sustainability by 2015. The 2011 MDG Report highlighted major successes in reducing extreme poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease, but despite this, it also found that the most vulnerable are being left behind.

28 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Tourism in Namibia

Namibia has calculated that in 2007 tourism contributed 14.2% of GDP (including direct and indirect contributions), and nature-based tourism activities are the leading reason for visitors to come to the country. Of Namibia’s six parks, the Etosha Pans Ramsar Site attracts around 200,000 visitors per year, by far the highest number of all their Parks.

Ministry of Environment and Tourism, 2007

African elephant near Etosha Pans Ramsar Site, Namibia © Sandra Hails

29 3.1.3 Support to local, regional and national and saltwater) in the United States alone, spend- show a strong desire to understand the places economies ing a total of USD 24-37 billion each year on their they are visiting. In wetlands this means view- With at least half of all tourism taking place in hobby. Much of the economic value of coral reefs ing wildlife and habitats; learning about wetland coastal areas, the quality of wetland ecosystems – with net benefits estimated at nearly USD 30 bil- ecology and conservation as well as experienc- is a vital economic resource for many tourism lion each year – is generated from nature-based ing the local culture; or just simply enjoying being destinations – for example, through the mainte- tourism, including scuba diving and snorkeling. within a beautiful natural environment. nance of unpolluted beaches and bathing wa- A successful example is in the Humedal La ters. Coastal-based tourism is vital for the econo- 3.1.4 Awareness raising Conejera in Colombia, where the active pro- mies of Caribbean states and territories and many grammes of work with schools, as well as estab- Those managing protected areas have an impor- other parts of the Americas, for southern Florida, lishment of interpretive trails, have stimulated tant role to play in building the awareness of local Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Mediterranean city-wide understanding of the importance of residents, tourists and tourism businesses of the coastal areas, in India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, wetlands for Bogota’s water supplies and envi- value of the natural resources on which tourism and the Pacific islands. ronmental quality. At Nakuru in Kenya there is a and the local livelihoods depend. Such aware- large scale environmental education programme The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report on ness-raising is generally an integral part of the that reaches around 100,000 school students wetlands in 2005 estimated that recreational fish- tourism offered by guided tours, visitor centres each year, as well as low-cost wildlife viewing ing generates considerable income: 35-45 million and educational programmes. Tourists generally people take part in recreational fishing (inland tours that the National Park runs for residents.

30 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Kayaking tours run by local trained guides are one of the most popular tourist activities in Palau ©Monica Zavagli

31 3.2 Challenges Tourism development in and around wetlands may result in environmental as well as social pressures to the local area and its communities. The broad range of such pressures has been identified in the Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism developed by the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Impacts of tourism in relation to the environment and biological diversity may include:

a) Use of land and resources for accommodation, i) Increased risk of introduction of alien species tourism facilities and other infrastructure j) Intensive water demand from tourism provision, including road networks, airports k) extraction of groundwater and seaports l) Deterioration in water quality (freshwater, b) extraction and use of building materials (e.g., coastal waters) and sewage pollution use of sand from beaches, reef limestone and wood) m) eutrophication of aquatic habitats c) Damage to or destruction of ecosystems and n) Introduction of pathogens habitats, including deforestation, draining of o) Generation, handling and disposal of sewage wetlands, and intensified or unsustainable use and waste-water of land p) Chemical wastes, toxic substances and d) Increased risk of erosion pollutants e) Disturbance of wild species, disrupting normal q) Solid waste (garbage or rubbish) behaviour and potentially affecting mortality r) Contamination of land, freshwater and and reproductive success seawater resources f) Alterations to habitats and ecosystems s) Pollution and production of greenhouse gases, g) Increased risk of fires resulting from travel by air, road, rail, or sea, at h) Unsustainable consumption of flora and local, national and global levels fauna by tourists (e.g., picking plants; purchase t) Noise of souvenirs manufactured from wildlife, in particular such endangered species as corals and turtle shells; unregulated hunting, shooting and fishing)

Socio-economic and cultural impacts related to tourism may include:

a) Influx of people and social degradation f) Intergenerational conflicts and changed (e.g., local prostitution, drug abuse, etc.) gender relationships

b) Impacts on children and youth g) erosion of traditional practices and lifestyles

c) Vulnerability to the changes in the flow of h) Loss of access by indigenous and local tourist arrivals which may result in sudden loss communities to their land and resources of income and jobs in times of downturn as well as sacred sites, which are integral to the maintenance of traditional knowledge d) Impacts on indigenous and local communities systems and traditional lifestyles and cultural values

e) Impacts on health and the integrity of local Source: Convention on Biological Diversity, 2004. cultural systems

32 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism 3.2.1 Environmental challenges Inappropriate development in and around wet- to nutrient enrichment, for example, from sewage lands may affect the ecological character of wet- and fertiliser run-offs. It is therefore vital to ensure lands and the wetland ecosystem services they that water flows and water quality are sufficient can deliver, including tourism. The converse is to maintain the wetland’s ecological character. also true: poorly managed tourism development This not only benefits conservation interests but in and around a wetland may have negative im- also maintains the wetland’s attractiveness for pacts on the ecological character of the wetland. tourists. Sewage and industrial effluents from Nakuru Town, Kenya’s fourth largest town, and While tourism has many potential benefits for agrochemicals from intensified farming within conservation, it can also have negative impacts the catchment continue to pollute Lake Nakuru, on wildlife and habitats. Development of tourism a globally recognized tourist destination, and this infrastructure within the wetland or immediately remains a long-term challenge for lake manage- around it, such as hotels, restaurants, and parking ment and sustained tourism. areas, may directly affect the health of a wetland ecosystem, and so too may the uncontrolled Increasing populations can be a further source presence of people in fragile habitats which may of pressure for development in and around wet- cause disturbance or damage to wildlife. Some lands. As population density increases, pressure common examples of disturbance are dam- may come from more people wishing to access age to coral reefs from scuba diving and distur- the site for recreation or other purposes. As tour- bances to animals that affect their feeding and ist developments come closer to wetland sites, breeding success. For example, in Ba Be National there are likely to be demands from local tourism Park, Vietnam, wastes and noise from tourism businesses to increase tourism activities within are adversely affecting birds and small mam- the site. At a coral reef, for example, these may mals around the lake shore, and management include pressures to increase permitted numbers solutions are now being implemented to resolve of divers; to open new dive sites; to provide more those issues. In the UK’s Peak District, the large visitor facilities; or to allow more tourism busi- number of people who hike across blanket bogs nesses to operate in the site. Over time, such pres- has served to destroy the surface vegetation and sures may eventually lead to the degradation of led to extensive erosion of the peat below; efforts the wetland’s ecological character, but the agree- are now underway to restore some of the worst ment and enforcement of site management and damage, and to manage hiking activities to avoid tourism plans can provide a means of successful further damage. mitigation.

River basins and their associated wetlands can It is always important that regional planning for be severely affected by many types of develop- tourism and other forms of development take ment. Land use intensification can reduce water into account the potential impacts that such flows within basins by diversions to settlements developments within a catchment can have on or irrigation schemes resulting in reduced flows wetlands nearby and further downstream as well, to wetlands. In addition, land-based activities can and to consider sensible limits on the type, scale Danube Delta tourist resort, controlling be a source of pollution for wetlands, leading to and intensity of tourism that can be supported tourism infrastructure can be a major challenge in wetland areas inflows of heavy metals or other toxic materials or while remaining sustainable. ©Peter Lengyel

33 Tourism and its footprint As well as being affected by climate change through impacts on environmental conditions at destinations, the tourism sector is also a contributor to climate change. It is estimated that overall the sector accounts for 4.9% of global CO2 emissions (range 3.9% - 6.0%), most of this coming from the tourism components of air transport (40%), other forms of transport (35%) and accommodation (21%) and these projections are bound to grow in the coming decades (UNWTO & UNEP 2008).

Governments, the tourism sector, and tourists themselves all have a role to play in reducing the climate change footprint of tourism.

Governments can play an important role in promoting changes towards reduction of carbon emissions. One of the most efficient ways of initiating change will be through raising the costs of energy and emissions through taxes or tradable permits; subsidies can also help trigger positive shifts in consumption toward low-carbon holiday experiences, for example by rewarding low-carbon consumers. Efforts must also be made by tourism businesses to improve their energy and water efficiency, to invest in renewable energy technology, and to comply with quality standards and environmental practices throughout the entire value chain (WWF 2008; OECD & UNEP 2011).

As tourists, each of us can also contribute to minimizing our tourist footprint by planning our travels with care. This can be done in various ways, for example, by choosing a holiday to a nearer destination instead of flying to the other side of the world; using public transport wherever possible at your destination; selecting tour operators and hotels that present themselves as ‘environmentally aware’ (WWF 2008).

3.2.2 Socio-economic challenges Conflicts with socio-economic consequences 3.2.3 The costs of managing tourism Tourism activities can bring socio-economic as can also arise over allocation of water resources Successful tourism requires investment in facili- well as cultural challenges with the potential to between the needs of local communities and ties and staff to manage the visitors and to pro- negatively affect the well-being and traditions of their agriculture and the need to maintain a vide information and services for them. Within the local people. They can also create conflicts wetland’s ecological character. For example, be- wetlands, facilities and services can either be with local communities, particularly when they tween 1992 and 2002 two droughts combined provided directly by wetland management or- limits people’s access to the resources important with large volumes of irrigation water abstracted ganizations, often part of the public sector but for their livelihoods, such as water, fodder, fish, from rivers supplying Lake Ichkeul in Tunisia led to sometimes part of the private or voluntary sec- etc. major declines in the lake’s ecosystem. This had tors instead, or by tourism businesses them- the consequence of reducing the lake’s attraction selves. However these facilities and services are Conservation can also result in conflicts with the for tourists as well as leading to a 75% decline in provided, they are a necessary part of each site’s local people where activities prevent or reduce populations of waterbirds there. Implementation “tourism offer”. Such investments can of course the ability of communities to access resources of active water management practices, along be financially very challenging. they have previously used, or where protected with commitments to ensure that Lake Ichkeul wildlife damages crops or threatens commu- receives sufficient freshwater inflows to sustain nity safety. Managing these challenges can be its ecological value and productivity, has now extremely difficult, as the losses experienced by reversed this damage, and the levels of tourism communities may not be sufficiently or equitably have doubled since 2005. compensated by the employment or income that tourism can provide.

34 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Birdwatching, an important ‘specialist’ tourist activity in wetlands; birders in the Danube Delta ©Peter Lengyel

4. Managing tourism in and around wetlands

Tourism, like any commercial activity, must be The tourism chapter of the UN’s Green Economy • to minimize adverse environmental effects; and managed as a business if it is to be successful, Report, prepared jointly by UNEP and UNWTO, • to direct tourism away from the most fragile and whether it is run by private, public or voluntary suggests that green investment scenarios could sensitive sites. sector organizations. Managing tourism as a busi- accommodate forecasted tourism growth while ness does not mean that tourism should take reducing the intensity (amount per tourist-day) In cases where tourism provides few real benefits precedence over the environmental or social of energy use, water consumption, polluting for a site, minimizing threats and adverse effects objectives for the wetlands. However, if tourism emissions, and waste generation in the tour- from tourism still makes a contribution to site cannot be developed to be commercially viable ism sector. However, even with such reductions, protection and keeps open future possibilities within the limits set by a site’s environmental and the absolute levels of consumption and water of benefits and site restoration. But there are also social objectives, it is a good indication that tour- use by the sector would still grow, as would the cases where tourism is simply not compatible ism would be inappropriate for that site. land converted to tourism uses from other uses with conservation and wise use objectives, and it (UNEP, 2011). should be prohibited or controls imposed by zon- It has been forecasted that, in coming years, more ing to define different uses and access to differ- people will be travelling to more places – many Accordingly, the challenge for wetland managers ent parts of wetland sites, or by attracting tourists of them wetlands. This might well lead to more is to be prepared: into areas that can accommodate their impacts impacts on the global environment from the • to manage all types of tourism that may affect with fewer adverse effects. tourism sector, with increases in greenhouse gas wetland sites, whether directly or indirectly; emissions, in waste generation, in resource use, and in the areas of land used for tourism. • to maximize the benefits that tourism may be able to contribute to wise use and wetland conservation;

35 4.1 Making tourism successful and sustainable

Dialogue among different stakeholders is central to determining what a destination can offer sustainably, what its communities will accept, and what its businesses can offer in light of the market demand for tourism and visitor satisfaction.

Successful tourism destinations offer activities by focusing on what they can best offer within that visitors want to experience, that businesses the resources the destination can provide. These can provide profitably, that residents are happy include the availability and quality of accommo- with and accept, and that the environment can dation and catering, its transport links and basic support. Because tourism is a highly dynamic infrastructure, local supplies of goods and servic- sector, destinations need to maintain good links es, as well as a destination’s natural, historic and to the market and provide distinctive tourism cultural resources. experiences that appeal to tourists. At the same Today, it is possible to find tourists in almost time, destinations need to implement effective any part of the world, however remote. The key approaches to avoid adverse environmental im- question for tourism businesses, and for anyone pacts from tourism and to maximize its benefits attempting to develop tourism for wetlands, is for conservation and communities. not whether some tourists will visit a particular site but whether sufficient numbers will come to Tourism that visitors want make tourism there commercially and economically viable. A further challenge for local busi- Tourism depends strongly on market demand. nesses working with international tourism is that Tourists have access to an ever-growing number tourists are looking for destinations that combine of destinations and tourism ‘products’, and the local distinctiveness with global standards and sector is highly competitive. Destinations need to value-for-money. To be successful, these busi- make sure that they continue to attract tourists nesses and destinations must strike a balance through marketing, design and development of and be able to offer tourists something special high quality experiences, maintenance of stand- delivered with the efficiency and standards they ards, and innovation in the tourism products they are used to in their home countries. offer. They need to build on the features that make them distinctive, focusing on those aspects of tourism they are best able to provide. Tourism that residents can accept and benefit from Local communities and residents are the ultimate Tourism that businesses can provide profitably hosts of tourism. In popular destinations, the number of tourists can have significant effects on Businesses need to be able to satisfy the mar- local communities, for example, making it more ket demand from tourists, and to do so profit- difficult for local people to access key livelihood ably, so that they can generate employment and resources, driving up prices and living costs, and other economic benefits that remain within the crowding them out of the places where they live. area and its host communities. Achieving this At the same time, local communities, traditions requires businesses that play to their strengths,

36 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism and opportunities for interactions with local Getting the right balance people can be a very important part of the Successful tourism depends on getting the tourism experiences that attract visitors. If right balance between visitors, businesses, local communities are happy to accept tourists, these communities, the destination, and what the en- experiences are likely to be positive. vironment can support. Achieving that balance involves dialogue among the stakeholders to determine what the destination can offer sus- Tourism that the environment can support tainably, what its communities will accept, and The natural, historic and cultural characteristics of what its businesses can offer in relation to the any destination are key resources for tourism. The market demand for tourism and visitor satisfac- success of tourism depends on protecting and tion. Out of this dialogue, destinations can create enhancing those resources, and avoiding any ad- an overall vision and strategy for tourism, defin- verse impacts on them from tourism activities as ing the numbers of tourists and types of tourism well as from other sectors. This includes measures that are acceptable and sustainable within the to control pollution and generation of wastes, in- destination, where and how those types of tourism Viewpoint of Velika dolina in cluding solid wastes and sewage, and to promote can take place, and how tourism will be managed Scocjan Caves, Slovenia the sustainable use of energy and water and the ©Borut Lozej, and developed. Archive of the Park Skocjan Caves conservation of biodiversity.

37 4.2 Establishing clear plans and objectives

4.2.1 Wetland management planning

Wetland management planning and plans are essential tools for resolving the multiple issues arising from activities in wetlands, including tourism. Meaningful involvement of local communities in decision-making is a central element of both wetland wise use and successful tourism.

Wetland management plans and their imple- zone and the Škocjan Caves Park Public Service support for, and assistance with, implementa- mentation are essential for the conservation and Agency has been given a statutory role for pro- tion usually justifies the investment. The level of wise use of wetlands and are designed to ensure tection, management and supervision of the participation and the diversity of stakeholders that wetlands maintain their ecological character protected area, alongside municipal authorities, involved can be very variable. and continue to provide key ecosystem services. in planning and management within the entire Local communities are key stakeholders in wet- Management plans provide the starting point catchment, including for its settlements, agricul- land management and in any tourism that is and framework for the management of tourism ture and forestry. All activities in the buffer zone linked with wetlands. In many cases, wetlands and recreation in balance with other ecosystem that are likely to alter the water regime and the have been – and remain – central to the liveli- services and conservation objectives. water quality of the Reka River are prohibited, hoods of communities living in and around them, with the exception of flood protection measures. The Škocjan Caves in Slovenia provide an exam- and wetland landscapes have been shaped and ple of catchment management that is designed Wetland management, and indeed any environ- protected by those communities. The involve- to protect the core site, an area of around 400 mental management, benefits from full stake- ment of communities in planning and decision- hectares, from activities within the wider catch- holder participation at both the planning and making – including on tourism development and ment. Under the Škocjan Caves Regional Park Act, implementation stages. While it is recognized management – is an essential part of successful the catchment has been designated as a buffer that this requires time and funding, the resulting conservation and wise use at wetland sites.

Management planning Danube Delta (Romania) A strategy for international conservation assistance was established in 1991, with support from IUCN, to create an integrated plan for management and restoration of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (DDBR). This provided guidelines for forestry, agriculture, fisheries, and tourism, and for immediate practical conservation by individual agencies. The first Management Plan was produced in 1994-1995 with inputs from government agencies, academic institutions, and scientific institutes, including the Danube Delta Research Institute (DDNI), the Tourism Research Institute, and others. Ecological restoration of the delta began to succeed in the mid-1990s, and by 2012, more than 15,000 hectares of abandoned polders have been ecologically restored to wetlands in good condition, with support from the World Bank Project ‘Danube Delta Biodiversity’ and the government. During 2001-2002 the Management Plan was revised, and during 2006-2007 a second Management Plan was elaborated with the support of the members of Scientific Council of DDBRA.

Humedal La Conejera (Colombia) The wetland has an Environmental Management Plan with ecological zoning establishing areas for strict conservation, for ecological restoration, and for environmental education and passive recreation that have trails for public access. Access is controlled and directed by eco-guide environmental educators. The main use of the wetland is biodiversity conservation, defined in the Land Use Plan of the city.

38 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Aboriginal rangers use an airboat to look for outbreaks of weeds on the Magela floodplains, Kakadu National Park, Australia ©David Hancock, Skyscans

Promoting Stakeholder Participation in wetland management Stakeholder involvement in wetland management can operate in various ways.

In the Everglades (USA) the Park is required under US federal legislation to prepare and consult communities and the public on a management plan for the entire site every five years, and also to conduct public consultations on implementation of major projects within that plan.

In Kakadu (Australia), representatives of the Aboriginal groups that are the traditional owners and caretakers of the land where the Park is located comprise two-thirds of the members of the Park’s Board of Management.

In the Danube Delta (Romania) and many other wetland sites, governance involves a mix of public consultations, community representation on management boards, and participation or liaison with local municipalities so that local governance is also integrated with wetland governance.

>> See Ramsar Handbook 18: Managing wetlands | Ramsar Handbook 7: Participatory skills | Ramsar handbook 6: Wetland CEPA

39 4.2.2 Integrating tourism management into wetland conservation

Development plans for tourism should be integrated with management plans for biodiversity conservation and compatible with objectives for conservation and wise use of each site.

Just as clear management plans are necessary commercially feasible at any site. The more the for the effective conservation and wise use of various stakeholders are involved in the develop- wetland sites, clear plans and objectives are also ment of tourism plans, the more likely they will necessary for effective management and devel- be to contribute to their successful implementa- Guidelines and practical guidance opment of tourism. Such tourism plans should tion. This can include anything from complying for managing tourism in the be integrated with site conservation plans. They with regulations and limits agreed in the plan, natural environment need to define: to developing new tourism experiences or mak- • the purpose of tourism at the site, ing investments to improve tourism facilities and The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) • what types and scale of tourism are acceptable, quality of service. has adopted Guidelines on Biodiversity and and Tourism Development, which cover policy Tourism development and management may ei- • where and how it should take place within the site. making, development planning, and man- ther be dealt with as part of the site management agement of tourism in destinations or sites. The types of tourism could range from mass tour- plans or in separate tourism plans that link to site The guidelines also address education, ca- ism to specialist wildlife watching, or could cover management plans. Examples are: pacity-building and awareness-raising, and several types of tourism that are compatible with • Lake Ichkeul (Tunisia), where funding was obtained their implementation is backed-up by a Users’ one another. The benefits of tourism could in- through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to Manual that provides checklists and practical clude supporting local economic development, prepare and begin to implement a Development guidance (Convention on Biological Diversity, establishing tourism businesses, raising aware- and Management Plan and a Community 2004 and 2007). ness of the importance of the site, generating rev- Development Plan for the Park. enues to support conservation, or finding ways to The Europarc Federation in partnership improve the management of existing tourism to • Ibera Marshes (Argentina), where a management with the European Centre for Eco and Agro reduce adverse effects on the wetland. plan was prepared in 2005 by a team of around Tourism have published a ‘how-to’ practical 55 specialists covering a broad range of conserva- manual, Practical, profitable, protected: A starter Like the development of conservation plans, de- tion and management expertise and represent- guide to developing tourism in protected areas, velopment of tourism plans should involve con- ing organizations involved in conservation of the which provides case study-based guidance sultation and active participation of local com- marshlands. for those responsible for the management munities, tourism businesses and destination of protected areas as tourist destinations. authorities. Development of coordinated plans • The Everglades (USA), where federal laws re- (Europarc Federation and ECEAT, 2012). for conservation and tourism provide an oppor- quire the park’s General Management Plan to tunity to build cooperation among these stake- be updated every five years; a public consulta- Many other relevant materials are avail- holders, and their input is necessary to deter- tion on the next redraft is scheduled for 2013. able and a number of those are identified in mine what types of tourism are acceptable and section 7.

40 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism A view of the Ibera Marshes ©Beccaceci

Combining tourism management with conservation objectives Abroholos (Brazil) Overall management of the Park takes place within the park’s Management Plan, first established in 1991 and revised in 1995. A Public Use Plan was ap- proved in 2003; it defines the guidelines for visitors, including diving and whale and bird observation activities, and is now part of the Management Plan. Most of the Park is designated as a total protection zone where no human activities or alterations are permitted. This zone includes nesting areas and the majority of the coral reefs. Other areas are designated for scientific research and environmental education. Tourism and recreation activities are confined to designated dive sites and a 1.6 km nature trail on the island of Siriba.

To protect the Park from excessive impacts from tourism, its regulations set a limit of 15 medium-sized vessels entering the Park waters each day, each with a maximum capacity of 15 passengers. This limit – representing a maximum of 225 visitors per day – is based on a carrying capacity assessment of the Park with the dual purposes of protecting its environment and fragile habitats and ensuring a high quality experience for visitors, preserving a sense of the remoteness and uniqueness of the Park and its dive sites. Only vessels that are accredited by the Park authorities are permitted in the Park. Each vessel is required to meet specifications set by the Brazilian Navy for safety and other operating equipment, and to have waste collection and storage tanks large enough to collect all wastes produced by passengers and crew.

All tourist groups must be accompanied by trained guides who have successfully completed an ecotourism training course run by the Bahia State’s tourism organization or by ICMBio, the Chico Mendes Institute of Biodiversity Conservation.

41 Wetlands – a resource for tourism and development Lake Nakuru (Kenya) Lake Nakuru National Park receives around 245,000 visitors each year – including 149,500 international tourists and 95,500 domestic visitors. As a ‘Premium Park’, international tourists are charged an entrance fee of USD 80, while domestic visitors pay 1,000 Kenyan shillings (USD 11). Entrance fees and conces- sion fees from the lodges generated revenues of nearly 800 million Kenyan shillings in 2010, which helped to pay for the costs of park management. There are two privately run lodges in the Park, providing a total of 240 beds. The lodges are leased as concessions from the Kenya Wildlife Service which runs the Park, and they provide revenues of around 17 million Kenyan shillings for the Park each year.

The main tourism activities offered in Lake Nakuru National Park are game drives and bird watching, accessed via a network of all-weather roads and tracks that are maintained within the Park. These take tourists to see more than 50 mammal species and over 450 species of birds, including 70 species of waterbirds. The Park’s impressive populations of mammals have been built up by careful management for over 50 years since it was first declared a National Park in 1961. This includes introduction of giraffe, black and white rhino from elsewhere in Kenya, and lions and leopards from South Africa. The Park now hosts many large mammals including other large herbivores, such as waterbuck, bushbuck and reedbuck.

4.3 Minimizing impacts from tourism in and around wetlands

Negative impacts from existing and future tourism activities can be minimized by appropriate management planning and monitoring.

The development of tourism facilities and infrastructure provision will likely create the potential for impacts on the surrounding environment. Such effects can be avoided or minimized by appropriate management planning approaches. These are much more difficult to implement, however, where negative impacts are already occurring on a significant scale, compared to applying methods to avoid damage in the first place.

In Abrolhos (Brazil) and Tubbataha (Philippines), strict controls on the numbers of tourists permitted in the Parks, as well as regulations controlling scuba diving, are used to protect the reefs from damage.

In Soomaa (Estonia), research has shown that if tourists were 500 metres or more away from nesting birds, there would be minimal disturbance. This information has been used to plan the routes of trails and boardwalks within the Park, with some areas closed to tourism during the nesting season.

In Tsomoriri (India) the peak tourism period also coincides with the peak breeding period for the lake’s avifauna. The promotion of homestays, as alternative accommodation options for tourists, is now helping to reduce the pressures from unregulated camping near key breeding areas of endangered birds. Many tour operators are also regularly helping with garbage cleaning initiatives.

In Ba Be (Vietnam), local lake users and those providing boat trips for tourists are being encouraged to use their traditional wooden boats in preference to motor boats with diesel engines, in order to avoid water pollution and to reduce the noise pollution that has begun to adversely affecting aquatic and lake-side wildlife.

42 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Local stakeholders participating in a training course to promote the establishment of homestays ©Pankaj Chandan / WWF-India

Siting and design of hotels and resorts Both the design and specific location of hotels and resorts can have significant environmental impacts on wetlands and other ecosystems. IUCN’s publication The siting and design of hotels and resorts identifies the potential impact on ecosystems of land-clearing and modifications of the landscape during the construction of hotels and resorts, such as removal of vegetation, changes in water flows, destruction or alteration of breeding and feeding grounds of birds, fish and mammals, changes in siltation rates and nutrient flows, etc.

Apart from such direct impacts of construction, it is important to consider the sources of building materials such as timber and sand used in the construction process, the use of non-native plant species in hotel gardens which may require excessive water, fertilizer and pesticide input, and the possibility of introducing invasive species inadvertently, etc.

Using a case study approach, this publication takes those impacts into consideration in the development of five key principles to safeguard biodiversity that are relevant for all ecosystems: 1. Adopt an ecosystem-based approach in tourism development planning 2. Manage impacts on biodiversity from hotel development and attempt to achieve an overall positive contribution 3. Design with nature and adopt nature-based solutions 4. Respect, involve and support local communities 5. Build collaboration among stakeholders. Source: IUCN, 2012.

>> See Ramsar Handbook 18: Managing wetlands

43 4.4 Ensuring benefits for local communities and businesses

Well-managed tourism development in and around wetlands ensures that benefits accrue to local communities and contribute to sustain local livelihoods.

One of the objectives of sustainable tourism in and Ba Be Lake (Vietnam) and in the Danube conflicts, and representation of communities on and around wetlands is to generate economic Delta (Romania) offer home-stays to tourists, and boards that oversee wetland site management. benefits for local communities; such benefits their local traditions and festivals provide added Where links with local communities are poor or encourage support for wetland protection and attractions. In the Soomaa region (Estonia), the non-existent, conflicts are more likely to arise. in some cases can play a vital role in reversing park authorities are running a programme to When communities are adversely affected by economic decline. help local tourism businesses. Similar approaches tourism, it undermines any incentive for them to – often called community co-management – are Many communities have strong livelihood and support conservation of the site. As well as affect- being successfully applied in Africa: one of the cultural links to wetlands, which have helped to ing conservation, poor community links can also keys to their success is that by giving communi- protect and influence their ecological character create social tensions that diminish the quality of ties rights to their land, they are then able to lease over millennia. For example, Kakadu National Park experiences for tourists, which in the medium- to concessions to experienced tour operators with in Australia has been shaped and protected by long-term may lead to reductions in visitor num- the ability to develop and market tourism prod- the Aboriginal groups that are the Park’s tradi- bers and thus the amount of income derived ucts internationally. tional owners and caretakers. The linkages that from tourism. these groups have with the land goes back over Community links can be built and managed in a Working with local communities to enable them 50,000 years. variety of ways. These include consultations on to establish businesses for tourism is therefore an specific issues, regular forums for local communi- Local communities also play an important part important aspect of managing visitation in wet- ties and other stakeholders to meet site manag- of the tourism experience, as well as providing lands. The community benefits thus gained are a ers, efforts by community liaison staff, provision accommodation, restaurants and other services. further incentive for the people to support local of assistance to enable communities to benefit The communities around Lake Ichkeul (Tunisia) wetland conservation. from tourism opportunities and to help resolve

Whale shark watching in the northern Yucatan, Mexico: benefits for fishers, marine life and tourists A seasonal whale shark population visits the northeast corner of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, and a tourism industry has developed over the past years involving local community members in accordance with corresponding environmental regulations. Co-management between all stakeholders has been sought from the start. The Dominos (as the whale sharks are called by the local fishers) come to these waters for five months of the year in one of the world’s largest known congregations of whale sharks. From May to September, the plankton-rich waters serve as a feeding ground for an estimated 800–1,400 individuals.

In 2003, WWF México and the National Commission for Protected Areas began a project with the fishers of Yumbalam, a Ramsar Site, with the central idea of providing training for fishers who were beginning to take tourists to swim and watch whale sharks. The training and capacity building consisted of courses on small business development, tourism interpretation, first aid, motor and boat maintenance, and marketing.

The aim was twofold, first to support the fishers in developing an alternative economic activity, and second, to reduce the fishing activities during these months of the year, giving a much needed respite to the marine resources of the area. Furthermore, having a diverse income source gives the community more stability since fishers no longer have to depend upon only one activity. There is a maximum of 160 permits (the estimated carrying capacity), one for each boat (8 passengers) to take tourists to watch and swim with the Dominos at the Ramsar Site.

Source: Dr. Carlos Garcia-Saez, Coordinador para la Atención de Humedales y Areas Costero Marinas CONANP, México www.conanp.gob.mx .

44 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Tay girls boating on Ba Be Lake © Ba Be National Park

Benefits to communities from tourism

Tubbataha (Philippines) Ten percent of the conservation fees paid by visitors to the Tubbataha Reefs is allocated to livelihood initiatives in Cagayancillo, including support for local efforts to generate revenues from tourism. The Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board provides technical and other assistance to help improve the capacity of Cagayancillo Municipality to manage marine resources and local marine reserves, including thorough planning, enforcement activities against illegal fishing, zoning of different activities including seaweed farming, fish cages, and fishing grounds. Improving marine productivity and fish catches helps to raise living standards for local people, and it can reduce fishing pressures on the park and other conservation sites. For example, experience in the Philippines has shown that the establishment of locally-managed marine reserves can significantly increase fish catch for local communities, often within only three years.

Ba Be (Vietnam) Lake-related tourism around Ba Be offers substantial alternative employment opportunities to local people through the provision of boat rides, homestay facilities, restaurants and guide services. It also helps to conserve and develop indigenous culture through art performances, traditional festivals, and handicraft production. The economic benefits for local communities can be considerable: for example, the payment for a team for an art performance is VND 500,000-1,200,000 (USD 25-60), for a boat excursion VND 500,000 (USD 25)/boat/trip, and for a home stay, around VND70,000 (USD 4) per guest per night. There are 18 houses available for home stays. In 2011, the average revenue from home stays was VND40 million (USD 2,000)/household/year in Bo Lu and VND25 M(USD 1,250)/household/year in Pac Ngoi. There are also 83 households that provide boat transportation services in the lake, and each can earn as much as VND 800,000 (USD 40)/month. Tourism and the income it generates is helping to raise awareness amongst tourism businesses, local communities and authorities of the value of conservation of the Ba Be National Park.

Lake Ichkeul (Tunisia) Promoting the National Park and surrounding areas as a tourism destination has helped raise awareness about conservation and the importance of wetland wise use, and has generated new sources of income that have contributed to the maintenance of the Park’s infrastructure, including its visitor centre, and to conservation management. The Park now has a programme of support, including basic training and credit schemes, to increase the involvement of local businesses and communities in tourism activities, in order to expand local employment and economic benefits from tourism. This has included establishing tourism businesses such as restaurants, accommodation, and souvenir shops selling local products and crafts, and employment opportunities as Park guides.

>> See Ramsar Handbook 7: Participatory skills

45 A creative product to enhance the tourist experience and conservation The development of ‘bogshoe’ walks at Soomaa National Park (Estonia) is a good example of the way in which wetland managers and tourism providers can work together to develop tourism activities that deliver great experiences while protecting wetlands. The Park provides a series of specially designed boardwalks that allow visitors access to the Park’s bogs and forests without damaging them. However, tour operators found that this limited the types of tourism experience it was possible to offer visitors. The Park sought with local tour operators to develop an innovative tour that gives visitors wilderness experiences of the bogs, while protecting the site’s fragile habitats and wildlife. This led to Bogshoeing in the Soomaa Ramsar Site: the development of guided ‘bogshoe’ walks a novel experience for many tourists using snowshoes so that visitors can walk © Aivar Ruukel over the spongy and fragile bog vegetation without damaging it. The Park and tour op- 4.5 Providing high quality tourism services and experiences for visitors erators work closely together to ensure that ‘bogshoe’ walks are carefully controlled, with Offering enriching experiences at wetlands is important for attracting tourists but needs careful limits set on numbers allowed and monitor- planning to ensure that visitation rates and activities are ecologically and socially sustainable. ing to ensure that no damage is caused to the bogs and their wildlife. The ‘bogshoe’ walks Visitor experiences and ‘product’ development allow visitors to leave the boardwalks and Tourism is as much about experiences as it is and unusual experiences can make wetlands explore more remote areas of the Park – they about places. The combination of memorable ex- distinctive and attractive for tourists. At a wet- have helped to diversify the types of tourism periences in great places strongly attracts visitors land site in or near a major destination, these offered by the Park, and provide an almost to particular destinations and makes tourism truly experiences will often be provided by a com- unique experience that attracts visitors and successful. bination of visitor centres and guided tours; helps promote the Park and its tourism, with at remote sites, unusual transport, Places provide the setting for visitor experi- benefits for local tour operators and other accommodation and meals will also form part ences, but places on their own are rarely suffi- businesses. of the tourism experience. cient for successful tourism. Exciting, enriching

46 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Breathtaking bridge over the Reka River, Slovenia ©Borut Lozej, Archive of the Park Skocjan Caves

In the Skocjan Caves in Slovenia, the management authority has made a major investment to build a visitor centre and to construct walkways and viewpoints within the caves, so that visitors can experience them in safety and the caves are more able to withstand the pressure from the large numbers of visitors.

The lack of innovative tourism products and the lack of up-to-standard facilities often lead to a loss of attractiveness; this has been the case in Abrolhos (Brazil), where in recent years the low quality of vessels that provide tours on the islands, and a lack of innovation of the tourist products offered, have contributed to a decline in the numbers of tourists visiting the Park – from an average of 12,900 in the years 1998-2001 to just 3,500 in 2011. To improve standards and re- verse the decline in tourist numbers, the Park is implementing a system that has been successful in other parts of Brazil, under which tour and boat operators will tender for concessions.

These examples show ways in which wetland managers can take steps to maintain standards Around coral reefs such as Tubbataha in the surrounding areas to other water sports, such as and develop new visitor experiences and tourism Philippines, controls on sites where scuba diving snorkeling, kayaking, kite boarding, or windsurf- products together with the tourism operators. is permitted, and the number of divers allowed, ing. Importantly, the impacts of such activities Certification schemes can assist wetland authori- are used not just to protect the reefs but to main- on the fragile reef ecosystem and surface wildlife ties in implementing high standards in their man- tain the quality of the diving experience as well. and habitats are being assessed and the need for agement of sustainable tourism and in consoli- The Tubbataha Protected Area Management new regulatory guidelines for such activities is dating their interactions with the tourism sector, Board also aims to diversify tourism in the being evaluated. leading to a ‘reliable’ product and an improved Park; possibilities exist to open the Park and visitor experience.

47 Supporting business development in and around wetlands Soomaa (Estonia) Private entrepreneurs provide accommodation and restaurants, as well as most of the tourism activities available with the Soomaa National Park. These include: • Canoeing – the greatest spring adventure in Soomaa; • Nature trails in bogs; • Bog walking with snowshoes; • Bird, butterfly and plant watching; and • Cultural history (traditional meadow management, traditional lifestyles or adaptations for living in wetland wilderness environments).

Soomaa National Park has benefited from its membership of the European-based PAN Parks Network which has provided guidance on developing sustainable tourism in the region, working with the private sector, and encouraging local businesses to become engaged in tourism to the Park so that they gain economic benefits.

The practical benefits that Soomaa National Park has gained from that membership have included encouraging more positive attitudes to conservation amongst local communities; providing a focus for cooperation among public authorities, tourism businesses and communities; creating more employment and business opportunities in tourism; and joint planning and coordination on tourism and economic development. There has also been an increase of awareness about the importance of old cultural traditions.

Certification schemes for sustainable tourism in protected areas A number of European initiatives encourage protected areas, including wetlands, to implement high standards in their management of sustainable tourism and interactions with the tourism sector. These schemes provide independent criteria and assessments of sustainable tourism, and can be used by wetland managers to provide targets and a framework for implementation of sustainable tourism at wetland sites. Although these initiatives focus on European sites, they provide a model that could be developed and applied elsewhere.

PAN Parks, working for the protection, greater understanding, and appreciation of Europe’s wilderness areas has developed the PAN Parks Verification and Certification system. Verification is carried out by a team of independent experts, in accordance with PAN Parks Principles, Criteria & Indicators. The PAN Parks principles ensure high standards of management for both conservation and sustainable development. All Pan Parks are independently au- dited against these standards every two years. The benefits of becoming a PAN Park include use of the PAN Parks brand, marketing benefits, promotion through PAN Parks communications channels, enhanced cooperation with local businesses, and possible cooperation with international tour operators. More information: www.panparks.org/learn/partnerships-for-protected-areas/apply-for-verification.

EUROPARC’s “Transboundary Parks - Following Nature’s Design” initiative is a verification and certification system that is intended to promote and facilitate transboundary cooperation between European protected areas. There are three elements to the system: the Basic Standards Criteria for Transfrontier Cooperation, which protected areas strive to fulfill; an evaluation process carried out by external verifiers; and, at the end of the process if enough basic categories are fulfilled, a formal certification as a “EUROPARC Transboundary Area”. More information: www.europarc.org/what-we-do/ transboundary-parks.

48 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Canoeing in Soomaa, Estonia ©Mati Kose

49 4.6 Communication, education and awareness

Communication and education about wetlands help to raise awareness about wetland values and wetland biodiversity, and win support from tourists and others for wetland conservation.

Communication, education and awareness are donations to support conservation projects. significant tools for managers of wetland tourism, Communication tools about sites can include critical for the marketing, branding and promotion leaflets, websites, local television and radio pro- of wetland locations for tourists and tour opera- grammes delivering information about access to tors (discussed in chapter 5). At site level, effective the site, seasonal onsite events or specific tour- communication and education about wetland ist activities, as well as more detailed ecologi- ecosystems, their biodiversity and values for peo- cal and management information. At wetlands, ple, generate understanding and support from visitor centres, trails, and appropriate signage can visitors who in return will help to conserve wetland present much information about the wetland to sites and may even raise funds through voluntary tourists as well as local visitors.

Awareness raising about wetlands Danube Delta Bisosphere Reserve (Romania) A booklet to guide tourists around 40 The Reserve Authority manages several visitor centres focused on raising awareness and educating of New Zealand’s finest wetlands visitors about the delta and its biodiversity. Perhaps of special note is their modern 3-D visitor centre promoting tourism in the Reserve and raising broad awareness about the delta. Built by the Tulcea County Council through a cross-border cooperation project financed by the European Union, the centre promotes the values of the natural heritage of the Danube Delta shared by Romania and Ukraine. The centre includes maps, information, and dioramas representing the natural habitats, landscapes and cultural heritage of the area as well as aquaria with the most important fish species, including the sturgeon, the biggest species in Danube Delta and one which is endangered.

Port Launay (Seychelles) In June 2011, the Constance Ephelia Resort of Seychelles was awarded a grant of USD 40,000 from the government of Seychelles’ “Mainstreaming Biodiversity” project funded by the Global Environment Facility. The grant supports a project initiated by Ephelia Resort and the NGO ‘Sustainability for Seychelles’ to enhance collaboration between the resort and community partners. The primary aim is to promote better conservation of the natural areas near the resort and the Ramsar-designated mangrove forest in Port Launay through raising awareness of resort staff, visitors, and the community about the importance of the environment and how they can help to protect it.

Under this project, the resort has produced an educational video for clients and staff, a brochure for clients highlighting all of the environmental features of the resort, tips for having an eco-friendly holiday, and interpretive signboards about the importance of various habitats in the area. The resort has also hosted a series of mangrove planting events involving the community and staff, focusing on regenerating degraded areas.

50 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Wetland manager explaining the complexity of the Neusiedlersee, Seewinkel & Hanság Ramsar Site, Austria © Monica Zavagli

Training staff and local communities to work with visitors Particularly important for communicating ef- Staff who interact well with tourists are a great guiding as important tools to enhance visitor fectively about the site and more broadly about added value for tourism, and they open up the experiences. wetlands are trained and knowledgeable guides. potential to develop tourism products that build The case studies compiled for this report provide Leading and managing tourist groups in wetland on the interactions they are able to have with many further examples of different approaches sites requires a combination of tourism skills and tourists, who are often interested in understand- to ensuring good interactions with tourists. For conservation knowledge. When groups are well- ing the lives and livelihoods of people in the plac- example, in the Ibera Marshes, the site manage- led, they will help to protect the places they visit, es they visit. It is therefore important for wetland ment has provided training on working with and the risk that they may cause any damage is site managers to ensure that their staff and peo- and guiding tourists both for its rangers and for considerably reduced. The way groups are led ple in local communities, as well as local tourism guides in local tourism businesses. In Kakadu, the and managed can also make a vital contribution businesses, are all able to provide accurate and Park authorities maintain a regular dialogue with to wetland awareness just by creating memo- up-to-date information to tourists and are trained tourism businesses to keep them up-to-date with rable and enriching experiences for visitors. To in how to interact with tourists. what is happening in the Park. In Soomaa, the achieve this, staff and local communities need Some wetland site authorities manage and guide Park authorities work closely with local business- training and support on how to manage and tours themselves and develop the skills needed es who provide specialist activities to cater for the interact with tour groups. They also need infor- to manage tour groups to go along with their diverse interests of visitors, including canoeing, mation and understanding about the site and its conservation knowledge. At other sites manag- bird and butterfly watching, bog walking, and special features, and knowledge about appropri- ers work with tourism businesses to help their cultural history tours looking at traditional mead- ate tourist behaviour to help visitors get the most staff develop appropriate skills. The next chapter ow management, old lifestyles and adaptations out of their visits and to minimize disturbance addressed the importance of interpretation and for living in a wetland wilderness environment. and damage. >> See Ramsar Handbook 7: Participatory skills | Ramsar handbook 6: Wetland CEPA

51 5. Working with the tourism sector

Although international tourism is expected to in- one. As a result, the demand to visit particular crease rapidly, and domestic tourism may grow destinations or for particular types of tourism even faster, this growth will not be spread uni- activities can vary significantly from year to year. formly. Some destinations, such as the northern Tourism professional endeavor to anticipate how coasts of the Mediterranean, are already near the demand is likely to change over time, and to use saturation point for tourism and should only see a a combination of marketing and tourism product limited expansion in the amount of tourism, while development to maintain the competitiveness of many newly emerging destinations will grow at a any destination. faster rate than the global average. However, the Collectively, the businesses that make up the increase in visitors to these new destinations will tourism sector, in conjunction with changing depend on a range of factors. Even within coun- market preferences amongst tourists, determine tries where tourism is growing rapidly, only some the level, types and economic value of tourism at locations will have a strong potential for develop- any location. If a wetland site experiences, or ac- ment as tourism destinations. tively engages in tourism, it will interact in some A crucial feature of tourism is the rapidity with form with tourist businesses. It is important for which demand can change, compared with wetland management authorities to understand other economic sectors. Expenditure on tourism the way the tourism sector works in order to help is discretionary, and when money is tight, people minimize adverse impacts from tourism and to tend to choose cheaper alternatives – perhaps maximize benefits obtained. traveling to destinations nearer to home and The most important question for tourism plan- staying for shorter periods. For example, as a con- ning and development is not whether some sequence of the present financial and economic tourists visit a site, but whether there is sufficient downturn, there was a significant global drop market demand to attract enough tourists to in international tourism in 2009, though this has make tourism commercially viable. If a sufficient now been reversed. market is not there, then tourism is unlikely to be Today’s tourists have more choice of destinations, a viable option. This underlines the importance types of travel, and tourism activities than ever of rigorous market assessment and business plan- before. The Internet and its easy access to infor- ning when considering the tourism potential of mation make it convenient for tourists to com- any wetland site – including taking into account pare tourism options around the world, and that any other ‘competing’ wetlands in the area. makes the tourism industry a highly competitive

52 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism 5.1 The tourism sector

Working with the tourism sector at a wetland destination is the best way to ensure the right mix of resources and skills for tourism and conservation.

Tourism involves a range of resources and skills, and one person, community or organization is unlikely to possess all the requirements necessary to develop tourism successfully. Those skills and resources include management of the resources that attract tourists to a destination, provision of visitor facilities, businesses that offer appropriate accommodation and restaurant options, activities that offer enriching experiences, and tour operators and travel agents who can link the destination to tourism markets locally, nationally and globally.

Wetland managers and the tourism sector need to be able to work together:

• to improve the management of existing tourism by minimizing adverse environmental and social impacts; and

• to develop tourism as part of the wise use of wetland sites.

The following sections outline the way in which the tourism sector operates and highlight areas of common ground where collaboration between the tourism and the wetland sectors Diving in Tubbataha Reef, Philippines ©Yvette Lee 2009 can be encouraged.

53 5.1.1 How the tourism sector operates

Understanding how the tourism sector works helps when planning for a development of tourism that is both commercially viable and compatible with wetland conservation.

The tourism sector includes all the businesses Tour operators therefore do all they can to mini- around the site, and its reputation for quality and that help tourists to decide on the places they mize their commercial risks while keeping up value-for-money. In whatever way tourism takes want to visit and to make their bookings, and that with new market trends and destinations and place in wetlands – whether it is managed and support them throughout their time away from maintaining their competitiveness. operated directly by the wetland management home, including by providing transportation, authority or by private sector businesses that Tour operators are particularly important in in- accommodation, food, activities and excursions, have access to the site either because they have ternational tourism. Although the Internet now and souvenirs. The sector also includes destina- operating concessions or because there are no frequently makes it possible for tourists to book tion management organizations and national or controls on site access – it will be influenced by all elements of their holidays directly, a significant regional tourism boards that help to support tour- and will interact with the activities of the wider proportion of international tourists still prefer to ism businesses. These organizations and boards tourism sector. book their holidays as a single package through are often funded at least partly by subscriptions a tour operator. This is often an easier way of If the wider tourism sector and local tourism busi- or taxes from tourism businesses and usually have booking, and it provides some guarantee of qual- nesses promote levels and types of tourism that roles in marketing, quality standards, and tourism ity since tour operators have better knowledge are not compatible with wetland conservation product development. Finally, the sector includes of the facilities and activities at destinations or objectives, and the site has no tourism controls tourism investors and developers who have a sig- might specialize in providing particular types of in place, then the site is likely to experience ad- nificant role in determining where and how fast tourism. verse impacts from tourism. For example, a lack tourism expands in a destination, as well as the of controls and effective interaction between type of tourism promoted at a destination. Of course some tourists – independent travel- conservation management and tourism may lers – prefer to make their own arrangements and A tour operator has an important role as a busi- lead to inappropriate siting of tourism facilities book directly with individual tourism businesses, ness that combines all the elements of tour- and activities that can damage some of the area’s generally via the Internet and using information ism that a tourist requires into a single package, wildlife, and it may also have adverse effects on available in guidebooks, on web pages, or in the which it then markets and sells to its customers. local inhabitants. But where the tourism sector media, or they may make their arrangements lo- The largest tour operators may own their own ho- and wetland sites work together, as in Soomaa cally once they have arrived in the destinations tels and airlines, but most subcontract other busi- and Kakadu, it is often possible to find ways to they want to visit. nesses to supply accommodation and transport. minimize any potentially adverse impacts and to Owning or subcontracting for accommodation The market demand from tourists for visits to any plan for future development of tourism that is still and transport, and the other services that make wetland site depends on the extent to which commercially-viable but which is also compatible up a holiday package, represents a considerable tourists know about the site and the tourism ex- with the long-term conservation of wetlands as a risk, since contracts have to be arranged well in periences it can offer, the facilities such as accom- resource for tourism. advance of marketing and selling tour packages. modation and transport that are available in and

54 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism A sunset view of the Everglades, USA © National Park Service, Brian Call

5.1.2 Different interests but common ground

Effective interaction between tourism and wetland conservation occurs where the overlap between the mutual interest of each sector is identified through dialogue.

Effective interactions between wetland manag- employment and enabling tourists to experience • Tourism will not always be viable at all wetland ers and tourism businesses can be hindered by wetlands and their surroundings. sites, perhaps because of a lack of facilities and the perception that their interests and approach- suitable infrastructure or because a site does not There are some real differences, however, that es are significantly different. Tourism businesses easily fit within itineraries that tourism businesses both sides must understand for successful mu- may believe that wetland managers do not un- are able to market effectively. tual collaboration: derstand the value of tourism and may wish to Effective interactions between the tourism prevent or limit tourism on their sites. Wetland • While wetland managers have a long-term focus sector and wetland managers occur when there managers may believe that tourism businesses on conservation and sustainable use, tourism is overlap between the conservation inter- have no concern for wetland conservation and businesses have to deal with market demands ests of wetland managers and the commercial would prefer to expand tourism and maximize that can change very quickly on short timescales. realities of tourism businesses. Finding such their profits free from any controls. The reality • Many wetlands and other protected areas are common ground is best achieved through is often different: many tourism businesses rec- managed by the public sector, and the general candid dialogue. Effective dialogue is helped ognize the need to protect wetlands and the culture and bureaucracy of public sector organi- when the roles of wetland management authori- environment generally, because they are impor- zations can result in much slower decision-mak- ties and the objectives of wetland conservation tant assets for tourism, and thus they proactively ing than tourism businesses would like. are clearly defined in legislation and regulations. adopt good practices; similarly, many wetland managers recognize that tourism is a good way • For valid conservation reasons, wetland manag- of demonstrating the value of wetland conser- ers may need to prevent or severely limit tourism vation and sustainable use by generating local to some sites or parts of sites.

55 1. Boat tour to explore Kakadu National Park ©Tourism Australia

2. Tropical beaches of Seychelles © Monica Zavagli

3. Lagune de Porto-Novo Ramsar Site, near Cotonou, Benin ©Nassima Aghanim/ Ramsar

Australia’s Landscape Programme: A successful partnership between the tourism and the conservation sectors Australia’s National Landscapes Programme provides opportunities to emphasise the importance of protected areas to Australia’s $95 billion tourism sector. The Programme, led by Parks Australia and Tourism Australia, is a national long-term strategic approach to tourism and conservation in Australia’s most outstanding environments. Two-thirds of Australia’s international visitors participate in nature-based tourism experiences, and research conducted in 2010 by Tourism Australia confirms that Australia’s nature is the greatest motivator for people to travel to Australia. The Programme aims to: • promote Australia’s world class, high quality visitor experiences; • increase the value of tourism to regional economies; • enhance the role of protected areas in those economies; and • build support for protecting the natural and cultural assets.

Essential to the success of the programme is the development of partnerships among tourism organizations and operators, protected area agencies, local councils, conservation groups, government agencies, and Indigenous communities. Working together these stakeholders are able to leverage their resources, define their points of difference, plan together, protect environmental values and promote their landscape for a common benefit. Australia’s National Landscapes include: Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island, The Kimberley*, Ningaloo-Shark Bay, the Great South West Edge*, Australia’s Red Centre, Australia’s Timeless North*, Greater Blue Mountains, Australia’s Green Cauldron, Australian Alps*, the Great Ocean Road*, Australia’s Coastal Wilderness and the Great Barrier Reef*. Candidate regions include: the Wet Tropics*, Tasmania* and Sydney Harbour*. Tourism Australia, 2010. Driving Visitation to Australia Using Experience Themes *Region includes a Ramsar Site For more details visit: www.tourism.australia.com/nl or www.environment.gov.au/parks/national-landscapes

56 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism 2 3

The Banyan Tree Group: stewardship of sustainability Banyan Tree Group is a leading hospitality brand that manages and develops premium resorts, hotels, residences and spas across 28 countries around the world. Since its inception, Banyan Tree has maintained the core value of driving sustainable development. The restoration of Bang Tao Bay in Phuket, Thailand, into an integrated restored wetland and resort, creating the first Banyan Tree flagship, is a striking example of how it operates.

In 1992, Bang Tao was an abandoned tin mine, highly polluted by toxic heavy metals. It was acquired by the company and the wasteland was brought back to life. Approximately USD 200 million (then Phuket’s largest ever single investment) was spent in the transfer operation that required a complete change of soil conditions to support the reintroduction of more than 7,000 hardy native plants. Fruit and flowering trees were also added to attract birds and wildlife, and the lagoons, once polluted mining craters, soon brimmed with marine life.

The resort’s water is provided by rain catchment lagoons within Laguna Phuket grounds. This water is treated and piped to the hotels, and the return waste water is cleaned and used in irrigation. This effectively creates a semi-closed water system requiring no withdrawal from local, municipal sources.

In addition to the successful ecological restoration, the creation of Laguna Phuket also boosted the local economy as the area’s work force was retrained from the mining sector to construction and hospitality.

This creation of environmental and social value via business has continued with the opening of each new resort; through the creation of the Banyan Tree Global Foundation (BTGF) funds are invested toward group-wide initiatives and site-specific projects. Group-wide initiatives include:

1) actions to minimize resource consumption and reduce waste production; 2) planting of 2,000 trees per resort per year, raising environmental awareness and addressing local environmental needs; and 3) a bespoke youth development programme, Seedlings , which provides financial and experiential support to children aged 12 through 18 that come from disadvantaged backgrounds surrounding each resort.

The hotels also concentrate on the social factors that lead to environmental degradation by providing increased economic livelihoods for adults through the development of new sustainable local enterprises. This can be seen in areas such as Ringha in China, where the local villagers have been trained to lead treks and offer homestead hospitality, thus avoiding the need for environmental exploitation.

Source: David Campion, Director of Banyan Tree CSR operations

57 ©Tourism Australia

The Accor hotel group – taking action for sustainable development The Accor hotel group is present in 90 countries with 4,200 hotels and more than 500,000 rooms. The group recognizes that all of its hotels can take action to conserve the natural environment and minimize their ecological footprint. Working with IUCN the group has published Biodiversity: My hotel in action – a guide to sustainable use of biological resources (IUCN, 2008), a guide that introduces hoteliers to the concepts of biodiversity and ecosystem services and briefly examines the negative impacts of human behaviour on the environment. The chapters focus attention on the main aspects of a hotel’s day-to-day operations that have an impact on the natural environment, with sections on:

• hotel restaurants and sustainable food sources; • hotel grounds and gardens and the use of indigenous plants for landscaping, as well as minimizing light and noise; • guest rooms and public areas and making use of sustainable materials; and • promoting responsible recreation activities and excursions and supporting local biodiversity conservation efforts.

In April 2012 Accor launched its PLANET 21 programme through which the group is making 21 commitments in favour of sustainable development. These include commitments on reducing CO2 emissions, reducing energy use, monitoring and controlling water usage, improving waste recycling practices, promoting sustainable building, supporting responsible purchasing practices, protecting ecosystems, etc. PLANET 21 has quantified its objectives for these commitments, which all the hotels must meet by 2015.

More information at www.accor.com/en/sustainable-development/the-planet-21-program.html

58 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Trekking in the remote majestic rice terrace scenery of the Cordillera in the Phillipines ©Monica Zavagli

5.2 Areas of interaction between wetland management authorities and the tourism sector Practical areas of interaction where cooperation between the wetland and the tourism sector can thrive include:

• defining areas where different types of tourism These elements are likely to affect the tourism can take place as well as areas where tourism is potential of individual sites, as well as the impacts not permitted, including the formulation and im- that tourism may have there. plementation of regulations for tourism; • establishing access points and visitor facilities; • creating local businesses for tourism; • providing good quality signage, guiding and interpretation; and • marketing, branding and promotion of tourism.

5.2.1 Access

Tourism potential is heavily influenced by considerations of access.

Access is vital for tourism. While remote places are visitors the opportunity to interact with the re- often very attractive to visitors, most people have search team. Access to the ranch for tourists is by limited time available for their travel, and if plac- small aircraft. es are difficult or take a long time to reach, few Most tourism takes place at sites that can be tourists are likely to visit them however attractive reached with reasonable ease, however, and in they may be. Investments in developing tour- a relatively short time. This generally means that ism in such places may not be commercially vi- sites will be near transportation infrastructure, in- able. Of course it may be possible to create some cluding airports and well-maintained roads, and exceptional tourism experiences and to find ways in the case of domestic tourism, they will often be to make some of these places easier to reach – for near centres of population. The tourism poten- example, by using helicopters or small aircraft - tial of wetland sites will generally be greater the but this may require large investments with high nearer they are to good transport infrastructure operating costs, making tourism to such places and centres of population. Such sites face great- affordable to only the most affluent tourists. One er pressures, however, and necessitate strong example where this type of tourism develop- management and enforcement of regulations, ment has been implemented successfully is at combined with a good working relationship with the Fazenda Rio Negro ranch in Brazil’s Pantanal the tourism sector, to minimize adverse impacts wetlands: here upmarket tourism is combined from tourism. with an ecological research station that offers

5.2.2 Visitor facilities

Provision of facilities for visitors can be used to control where tourism takes place within a site and so help to minimize adverse impacts.

Providing at least basic visitor facilities (for exam- may be charged. Whether these are appropriate The provision of visitor facilities can be used to ple toilets, washrooms, shelter, and garbage col- within any particular site depends on the avail- control where tourism takes place within a site lection) is critical at all sites where tourism takes ability of similar facilities nearby and the potential — attracting tourists to locations where there place. Tourism businesses and tourists will favour for additional facilities to be commercially viable. will be minimal adverse impacts and away from those sites where there are sufficient facilities They may be built and operated either by wet- more sensitive locations. Furthermore, the type, of suitable type and quality in relation to visi- land management authorities or by private busi- quality, and price range of additional facilities can tor numbers, the activities taking place, and the nesses with concessions for which the businesses be used to attract different types of tourists, from costs for visitors. In addition, providing suitable pay an annual fee to the site, under agreements low numbers of high-spending visitors to larger facilities can help to reduce the adverse impacts which define what the businesses are allowed to numbers of those with lower budgets. Catering of such nuisances as, for example, littering. do as well as minimum service levels. Such agree- for different types of people requires different ments are usually of finite duration and may be approaches and quality levels. By working with Some sites may also provide additional visitor terminated if a business does not operate in ac- the local tourism sector, wetland managers can facilities, for example restaurants, accommoda- cordance with its terms. identify which types of visitors present the most tion and souvenir shops, which can generate appropriate market for a site, taking commercial revenues additional to any entrance fees that as well as conservation factors into account.

60 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Providing facilities for visitors to wetland sites

Everglades (USA) The Park receives around one million visitors each year, who come to enjoy activities like wildlife viewing, especially birdwatching, hiking, kayaking, and sightseeing tours by boat and tram. Some recreational fishing is also allowed subject to Park regulations. Tourism facilities include 250 km of trails (including canoe trails), five elevated boardwalk trails, two campgrounds providing a total of 400 camping spaces and a further 48 designated backcountry campsites that are accessible by boat, five visitor centres, and two environmental education camps.

Ba Be Lake (Vietnam) The Ba Be National Park management board has established and manages a visitor centre, a guest- house with 70 guest rooms, and two restaurants in the Park’s Administration and Service Zone. This generates revenues of around 200 MVND (~10,000 USD) per year, and after payment of taxes, the balance is reinvested by the park. In addition, there are 21 community guesthouses and two souvenir shops in the village. Other tourism facilities have been developed through joint-venture investment or are owned and managed by local people or state enterprises.

Ichkeul (Tunisia) Lake Ichkeul receives around 50,000 visits each year. The Park offers nature trails and guided excursions, a museum, sightseeing in the douars (tented camps) and local villages, birdwatching, mountain biking, caving, hiking and sports trekking on Djebel Ichkeul, which rises 500m above the lake and offers panoramic views of the marshes. The Park also includes Roman remains and natural hot springs close to the lake which feed traditional Hammams (hot baths). Some longer horse or camel trekking excursions around the edges of the lake are also available, with visitors camping overnight by the lake shore.

Skocjan Caves (Slovenia) Major investments – around euro 430,000 between 1999 and 2010 – have been made to build a visitor centre and construct walkways and viewpoints within the caves. These facilities enable visitors to experience the caves in safety and help the caves withstand pressure from large numbers of visitors.

The Park has also constructed a range of tourist facilities above ground, including a restaurant, souvenir shops and toilets, a museum and walking and cycling trails. These facilities, combined with excellent information and interpretation, are important in maintaining the caves as a major tourist attraction and, through this, in generating significant amounts of income that is used for management of the regional Park, part of which is also distributed to local inhabitants for the maintenance of typical architecture and the cultural landscape.

61 The Feynan eco-lodge in the Dana Biosphere Reserve, owned by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, provides economic opportunities for local communities, generates revenue for conservation and offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience Jordan’s wilderness and ancient history © Monica Zavagli

5.2.3 Local businesses supporting tourism

Support by wetland managers for local businesses and communities to help them better provide local tourism services brings important long-term conservation benefits.

A supporting infrastructure of local businesses It can sometimes be difficult for national or re- Some wetland managers work with local com- that can provide goods and services to visitors is gional tourism businesses to develop links with munities and tourism businesses to encourage frequently a vital ingredient for successful tour- individual communities and local businesses, improvements in local goods and services of- ism. Unless visitors are sure that they can find but wetland managers are well placed to act as fered. For example, communities in and around suitable nearby accommodation, restaurants, lo- a bridge between them and the communities liv- Ibera marshes (Argentina) have received support cal transportation, or guides, few are likely to visit ing in and around their sites. to establish municipal nature trails, and local a site. These features are even more important tourist guides have also been trained. In Soomaa Those sites where significant tourism is taking for tour operators when they plan itineraries for (Estonia), there is an active business development place should have at least one member of the site tour packages. A lack of adequate local services programme to support and improve standards in management staff with designated responsibility can dissuade tour operators from including sites local tourism businesses. As well as benefiting lo- for tourism supervision, who will act as that point within their tour packages. cal communities and building local support for of contact between the site personnel, local tour- conservation, the sites that do this also influence Tourism linked to local businesses thus helps ism businesses and communities, and the tour- the supporting infrastructure for tourism, so that ensure the availability of the goods and services ism sector generally. To be able to support and it is more appropriate for the types and levels of necessary for successful tourism operations. It manage tourism successfully, wetland manage- tourism encouraged at these sites. Improvements can provide the ‘authenticity’ or opportunity to ment staff need training and expertise in work- in the quality and diversity of services that local experience ways in which others live — an im- ing with the tourism sector, particularly with local tourism businesses offer increase the possibility portant experience for many visitors. tourism businesses, along with their traditional of generating interest in the site more widely. expertise in conservation management.

62 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism The islets of Tubbataha Reefs offer breeding and feeding grounds for endemic and endangered bird species ©Teri Aquino

Building links between wetlands and local tourism businesses

Skocjan Caves (Slovenia) As part of its work on tourism, the Skocjan Caves Park Public Service Agency promotes the Park in Slovenia and abroad; it is identifying opportunities to expand and enrich tourism within the Park and to increase local employment by promoting the region’s heritage and monuments and by establishing local tourism businesses, such as small accommodation facilities. The Park agency works with local tourist associations to improve tourism ‘products’, for example, by encouraging traditional agriculture and ecologically-oriented food production for sale to tourists.

Tubbataha (Philippines) Dive boat operators in the region have formed an association to deal with safety and crisis management issues at sea, and to streamline cooperation amongst themselves and with the Park. The Park works closely with the Association and in the future will require dive operators wishing to gain access to the Park to become Association members. It also runs seminars and briefings that operators and guides are required to attend annually in order to retain their entry permits. Additionally, the Department of Tourism is expected to require all dive boat operators to seek accreditation with the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving, which will help to ensure that all dive operators meet high standards, including of reef protection practices.

Kakadu (Australia) The Park works closely with Tourism Australia and Tourism Northern Territories and with Tourism Top End (TTE), a non-profit association with over 550 members drawn from businesses, individuals and organizations committed to the growth of tourism in the ‘Top End’ (northern Australia). Many of Kakadu’s tourism operators are members of TTE. The tourism industry is under commercial pressure for sites and activities to be available for visitors as much as possible, but in a site like Kakadu, cultural factors and extreme weather conditions, crocodile management and post wet season road maintenance mean that it is difficult to meet the industry’s expectations of access. Park management seek to educate the tourism business about the reasons behind sites or activities not being available as much as they would like, through industry newsletters, meetings, and a compulsory training programme for all guides leading tours in Kakadu.

63 1 2 3

5.2.4 Interpretation and guiding

Tour operators promote those sites where visitors receive good experiences and services: high quality guiding and interpretation of a site can play an important part in achieving those results.

Tourists visit wetlands for many different reasons enhance the experience of visiting a site. It also Information about the site can be provided to – some come for rest and relaxation, whilst oth- provides opportunities to explain local conserva- visitors through brochures, visitor centres, nature ers want more active experiences of the unique tion and wise use issues, and thus to influence trails with associated signage and information natural and cultural features of a site and so wish tourists to behave in ways that help protect the boards, web pages, and guided excursions (some to go birdwatching or diving or seek out wildlife. site (for example, by demonstrating how to avoid of which may take tourists into more sensitive damaging corals or disturbing wildlife). parts of sites where they would not be permitted Interpretation and guiding are important for both unaccompanied). types of visitor. When done well, this can greatly

Using information and guiding for visitor management La Conejera (Colombia) Working with local stakeholders, including local communities, the Foundation Humedal La Conejera (FHLC) has developed a Regulation entitled “Manual de convivencia para la sostenibilidad del humedal” [Manual of coexistence for the sustainability of the wetland], which covers public use of the site. Development of these regulations using a participatory approach has helped ensure that visitors accept and keep to the regulations – for example, by not leaving garbage in the wetlands and avoiding undue disturbance to wildlife. Generally visitors show a deep respect for the site.

Access is controlled and directed according to the recommendations contained in the site’s Environmental Management Plan, keeping within the carrying capacity that has been established based on the current conditions of the ecosystem and the public access area. Access to the wetland’s public areas is controlled and directed by trained guides, who are generally students of natural or environmental science. FHLC provides guided tours to see the site’s wildlife and natural landscape, and operates a successful programme to enable visitors and local residents contribute to on-going environmental management.

Parc national du “W” (Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger) Within the framework of the ‘Sustainable Tourism–Eliminating Poverty’ project, and with a contribution provided through the Ramsar Swiss Grant for Africa, UNWTO organized a one-week training seminar in 2011 on birdwatching and environmental awareness in the transborder Parc “W”, a wetland area covering parts of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The training was attended by fifteen guides (five from each country), as well as five forest officers who work in the Park. Participants were trained in bird identification and tour guiding, and they received advice on how to act as champions for biodiversity conservation in their communities. As a follow-up activity, three birdwatching platforms will be constructed in the Park (one in each country) and environmental awareness-raising workshops will be organized for the communities living in the Park’s buffer zone.

>> See Ramsar Handbook 6: Wetland CEPA

64 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism 4 5 6

5.2.5 Marketing, branding and promotion

Marketing and promotion are important for attracting visitors, but they need to be compatible with the types and levels of tourism that can be supported without adverse impacts at a site.

Marketing, branding and promotion are central selected market segments in order to attract • branding involves creating a simple image, to informing potential tourists about the tour- sufficient numbers of the suitable types of tour- name and reputation that are then used to help ism ‘products’ and experiences that are avail- ists to visit a particular site. market and promote a region, group of tour- able at any destination. Different destinations ism ‘products’ and businesses, or individual Marketing, branding and promotion are closely specialize in different types of tourism, and each businesses. linked: will appeal more to some people than to others. Reaching the market involves a range of activi- For example, some people may be looking for • marketing comprises all activities near to the ties, including advertising, attendance at national, relaxation and shopping in urban destinations, point at which customers purchase tourism pack- regional or international tourism fairs, web-based while others may be seeking specialized wildlife ages or particular tourism goods and services; promotions (including social media), and hosting experiences, such as whale- or birdwatching. • promotion covers activities designed to ensure familiarization trips to show particular destina- Some may have very restricted budgets, whilst that the widest possible range of potential cus- tions and experiences to tour operators, travel others may have substantial budgets and prefer tomers know what tourism products are available agents, and journalists. These activities require a kind of luxury tourism. Part of tourism market- at a destination; and detailed planning and preparation and generally ing, branding and promotion involves targeting require sizable budgets.

Marketing wetland tourism Skocjan Caves (Slovenia) The Skocjan Caves Park Public Service Agency promotes the caves through a website, brochures, books and other publications; workshops, tourism markets, and advertisements; and cooperation with other protected areas in the region, including other UNESCO World Heritage and Ramsar Sites. The caves’ internationally recognized status of World Heritage and Ramsar Site is used for promotion of the site.

Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (Romania) The management authority for the Delta, the local authorities and tourism businesses undertake some direct marketing opportunities such as national fairs, where domestic tourism is important, but also international fairs. In addition a management committee on tourism has been set up to coordinate many aspects of tourism, including marketing.

In Kenya, Lake Nakuru features as one of the country’s ‘Premium Parks’ and is used to help market Kenya as a tourism destination by both the national tourism board and the management authority, the Kenya Wildlife Service.

In the Ibera Marshes (Argentina), tourism around Lake Ibera and Colonia Carlos Pellegrini is marketed by the local Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the municipality.

National and regional tourism boards, and tour- activities have to be carried out by tourism busi- Marketing, branding and promotion can also be ism businesses – particularly tour operators, trav- nesses and other organizations. The Everglades’ used to spread tourism across a site network. This el agents and large accommodation and travel local municipalities run major tourism promo- reduces pressures and risks of adverse impacts on companies – build up the detailed marketing tion programmes. Other sites such as the Skocjan the most popular sites and spreads the economic knowledge necessary for them to undertake tour- Caves (Slovenia) and the Danube Delta (Romania) benefits from tourism to more communities. ism marketing, branding and promotion. While have assumed significant direct roles in tourism Currently, the Kenya Wildlife Service is develop- wetland managers may have a good knowledge marketing and promotion. ing a programme to encourage more tourism at of the types of visitors and their interests at their those protected areas with lower visitation so as Whether or not a site itself is directly responsible sites, they are unlikely to have a detailed knowl- to reduce pressure on the more popular destina- for specific marketing and promotion activities, edge of wider tourism markets, or sufficient funds tions. This programme includes developing tour- all sites need to ensure that marketing and pro- to undertake major marketing programmes. ism around other Rift Valley lakes to help reduce motion is compatible with the types and levels visitor pressures on Lake Nakuru, and encourag- By working with tourism professionals, wetland of tourism that can be supported without incur- ing tourists to extend the duration of their stay so managers will gain better insights into market ring adverse impacts. It should also generate the that they can visit more sites within the Rift Valley. trends and ways in which tourism at their sites greatest benefits for conservation and local com- can be marketed, branded and promoted most munities. Even sites with no direct role in market- effectively to reach wider audiences if desirable. ing and promotion can develop activities – such as environmental education in the case of the For some wetlands, such as the Everglades Everglades – that reinforce marketing and pro- National Park (USA), the direct public funding of motion by others. marketing activities is prohibited and so all such

67 Ramsar Site signboard at Port Launay Port Launay Ramsar Site ©Environment Department, Seychelles. © Environment Department – Seychelles

Marketing of tourism in wetland sites Port Launay (Seychelles) Management of Port Launay is undertaken jointly by the adjacent Ephelia Resort and Sustainability for Seychelles, a local nongovernmental organization. The Ephelia Resort is a five star hotel set in a 300-acre (120 ha) nature reserve and situated on two beaches overlooking Port Launay Marine Reserve. By helping to protect the Reserve, the Ephelia Resort maintains the high quality environment and landscape that is an important part of the resort’s attraction for tourists, and which is emphasized in its marketing.

Tubbataha (Philippines) The Park works closely with the Philippines Department of Tourism to market Tubbataha internationally. The Park’s management board is trying to diversify tourism within the Park given the importance of tourism both for generating revenues for conservation and for providing benefits to local communities from income and employment opportunities. Possibilities to open the park and surrounding areas to other water sports, such as snorkeling, kayaking, kite boarding, or windsurfing, are also being considered. This will involve assessing the impacts of such activities on the fragile reef ecosystem and surface wildlife and habitats, and evaluating the need for new guidelines for regulation of those activities, with a particular emphasis on zoning.

The Park is already encouraging more nature-focused activities include birdwatching, dolphin and whale watching, and reef observation from glass- bottomed boats. These new activities are expected to generate additional revenues for the Park and increase appreciation of the marine environment. They will also bring additional local employment opportunities, and the Park is assisting with training the local guides to lead these activities.

68 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Ramsar explanatory panels in the “Ramsar Suite” of Oerland Kysthotell (Coast Hotel) in Norway ©Tobias Salathe

Ramsar as a quality label Several countries have been using the Ramsar logo as a quality label to inform the public that they are implementing the approaches promoted by the Convention. “Ramsar Sites” are Wetlands of International Importance that correspond to specific criteria and are inscribed in the global Ramsar List, which contains more than 2,000 sites, formally designated by 160 countries. Together they constitute the largest global network of protected areas. Ramsar Sites are normally the subject of integrated management plans, and interventions should be based on participatory processes among stakeholder groups, including local communities and indigenous people. Ramsar Sites are showpieces for the implementation of national wetland wise use (sustainable use) policies, in some ways “the jewels in the crown” of a country’s wetlands. Increasingly this is publicly advertised with the Ramsar logo being displayed on information panels, worn by local staff, and included as an integral part of relevant communication and education activities. Specific quality criteria and minimum threshold values have not yet been defined, but several countries have started thinking about a quality concept for “Ramsar Communes” to distinguish public authorities and business partners who follow the Ramsar guidance and apply sustainability criteria for their integrated approach to managing Ramsar Sites (and other wetlands) in view of the tourism requirements and pressures. In Norway, Oerland municipality hosts a coastal Ramsar Site and is proudly explaining its services, values and connections with other Ramsar Sites (e.g., through migratory birds) with a public exhibition in the town hall and explanatory panels in selected “Ramsar Suites” in the nearby hotel. The Austrian commune of Purbach on the edge of Lake Neusiedl-Fertö, a Transboundary Ramsar Site shared with Hungary, opened a “Ramsar Centre” to inform tourists and other visitors about the commune’s natural heritage, sell local products, and advertise cultural events. Increasingly Ramsar Site managers display the Ramsar Convention logo prominently to inform tourists and local visitors about their implementation of the Ramsar management principles for the wise use of wetland ecosystems and their resources. These are first concrete steps towards the establishment of quality criteria for a “Ramsar Label” for sustainable wetland tourism that could eventually be globally applied as a definite distinction for the application of sustainable wetland tourism management principles, to serve as a quality brand and marketing tool.

70 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism 6. Planning and Policies for wetlands and tourism

National, regional and local planning and policies are key factors in environmental conservation and in ensuring that tourism contributes equitably to the development of the local economy. Tourism develops in many different ways, but one of adverse environmental impacts and because or not tourism is environmentally, socially and common feature is that where tourism is allowed rapid expansion relies more on importing trained economically sustainable, and are generally influ- to expand too rapidly in any area, social and en- staff than on training local people, thus reducing enced by government decisions. As a result, gov- vironmental issues have often not been properly the employment opportunities available to them. ernment planning and policies are major influ- considered. Additionally, potential benefits for The speed, scale and type of tourism develop- ences on whether or not tourism is successful and local communities are reduced both as a result ment are major factors in determining whether sustainable for the long term in any destination.

6.1 Legal frameworks Appropriate legislation and its effective enforcement is important to prevent damage to the environment and to tourism assets, to protect the rights of host communities and enable them to benefit from tourism, and to ensure that future development of tourism is only permitted where it will be sustainable. Conservation and wise use needs to be supported or specific sites or types of sites, such as wetlands. very resources that attract tourists. For example, by clear policies and regulations applying to all Many governments have adopted some form of according to UNEP’s Mediterranean Action Plan stakeholders, wetland users and others whose ac- legislation that applies to tourism, including provi- programme, some 48% of urban centres around tions may have an impact on wetlands. Laws and sions for setting up national tourism boards, under- the Mediterranean lack sewage treatment facili- policies related to environmental protection, plan- taking national planning and tourism marketing, ties and around 80% of wastewater is disposed of ning and land uses at national, regional or local establishing minimum standards for different types in the sea untreated. This problem is even greater levels provide an essential framework for all relevant of tourism, and implementing licensing schemes for in resort areas in other parts of the world, such as decision making. Such a framework ideally sets tourism businesses. the Caribbean or Southeast Asia. As well as creating out the processes that public authorities apply to health risks to tourists and local people, such con- As well as specific legislation for the tourism sector, planning and approval of development proposals. tamination is harmful to the marine environment, legislation designed to protect the general envi- They should also specify minimum standards and including nearby coral reefs, and in extreme cases ronment applies to all sectors, including the tour- requirements with which developments must com- can lead to the formation of ‘dead zones’ in which ism sector, and its effective enforcement is vital for ply in order to be permitted. most marine life, including productive fish stocks, maintaining the high environmental quality that has been destroyed. As context, it is important that they state the general destinations need to remain attractive to tourists. objectives and commitments of the government, One obvious area is preventing pollution by requir- At the site level legal frameworks can be helpful for example in relation to sustainable development ing businesses and public authorities to treat solid in preventing uncontrolled development of tour- and the need for public consultation. This and re- and liquid wastes and dispose of them responsi- ism. The tourism activities in the Danube Delta lated legislation – such as for biodiversity – generally bly. Effective implementation of such legislation is Biosphere Reserve are authorized by the Regulation gives public authorities a range of responsibilities. particularly important in maintaining water quality and Licenses Department within DDBRA, which For example, legislation may allow local authorities and the general attractiveness of coasts, rivers and also sets regulations for tourist boats and floating to limit particular types of development or to set lakes for tourists, as well as for maintaining the eco- hotels, including requirements for management, specific local requirements (additional to the gen- logical services these wetland habitats provide. In collection and disposal of all liquid and solid wastes. eral requirements of national legislation or policies). many regions, however, rapid tourism development Regulations also protect bird colonies and nesting outpaces the implementation of effective environ- birds and control the commercial and sport fishing Governments may also develop specific legisla- mental protection measures, risking damaging the that is allowed in the Reserve. tion to cover economic sectors, such as tourism,

>> See Ramsar Handbook 3: Laws and institutions

6.2 Wetland and tourism policies

Well-conceived national and local policies for tourism are crucial and must fit comfortably within wider strategic policies related to land use.

It is important that wetland policies consider tour- • In Tubbataha (Philippines), where, as in many reef ism as a relevant ecosystem service. Governments systems around the world, tourism is combined have been increasingly recognizing the value of with efforts to improve the sustainability of local wetlands and the ecosystem services they pro- and regional fisheries: there are studies that show vide and many countries have developed specific that the protection of some reef areas for tour- policies for water and wetland management. ism – with no fishing permitted – benefits overall fisheries productivity in the surrounding waters, Most countries have a ministry or public body providing a better long-term income for fishers that has responsibilities for wetlands. These bod- alongside the additional income that tourism ies can play an important role in working with the brings. tourism sector to prepare and implement coherent national or regional policies and approaches Considerable progress in raising awareness for tourism. about the value of wetland ecosystem services, and their integration into decision-making pro- Tourism combined with other wetland services cesses, has been made thanks to the widely rec- can often be economically as well as environ- ognized reports such the Millennium Ecosystem mentally preferable to other land uses. This is Assessment (2005) and The Economics of demonstrated by the following examples: Ecosystems and Biodiversity (2010). These pro- • The Everglades (USA), where one of the world’s vide recommendations for improvements to largest environmental restoration projects is un- planning approaches, policies and decision- derway to restore the ecosystem and the flood making by governments, to ensure that the value control services it supplies, as well as to protect it of ecological services and the environments and as a tourism resource for South Florida’s economy. biodiversity that provide them are fully evaluated and considered, and that decisions are based on • The Danube Delta (Romania), where economi- long-term sustainability. cally and environmentally disastrous attempts at agriculture and fish farming during the 1980s have been reversed, and the areas returned to conservation with nature-based tourism.

72 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism Namibia’s Policy on tourism and wildlife concessions on state land recognizes that concessions are a means of providing access for tourists to parts of protected areas that are ordinarily not accessible, diversifying the range of opportunities on offer to tourists. Most importantly, it provides the policy support for the creation of opportunities for business development and the economic empowerment of formerly disadvantaged Namibians through access to tourism, hunting and industries based on wild plant and animal resources.

Government of the Republic of Namibia, 2007

National and local governments can act to con- destroy natural environmental features. Another within community-owned conservancies. In control how much and what type of tourism is de- example: an estimated three-quarters of the sand trast, the counties and destination management veloped and where and how fast it is developed. dunes on the Mediterranean coast of Spain have organizations of southern Florida (USA) have poli- Planning regulations are likely already to require been destroyed by urban development – primar- cies designed to attract high-volume tourism in environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for ily by tourist resorts. all price brackets. any significant developments, including tourism As well as implementing planning regulations, The different policies are designed to maximize facilities, and to set limits on what can be con- governments or government agencies may also the overall benefits that particular regions and structed and where – for example, prohibiting formulate policies for tourism that are generally their communities are able to generate from tour- construction on steep slopes or within a certain designed to encourage development of particu- ism, whilst keeping the level of tourism within distance of the coast. Planning regulations may lar types of tourism – for example, tourism in sustainable limits: if implemented properly, they also include provisions for the types and sizes protected areas, coastal tourism or rural tour- also help to maintain or build a distinctive mar- of constructions that are permitted in various ism. These policies will ideally be developed in ket position for tourism in a particular country or areas, may specify zones for particular types of dialogue with the tourism sector, and particularly destination. development, and may include specific protec- local tourism businesses. They should provide a tion for wetlands and other sensitive habitats. framework for ensuring environmental protec- Conservation legislation – including that cover- tion and tourism benefits for local communities, ing wetlands – will normally also be taken into ac- as well as encouraging coherent development of count in the planning process, and may prohibit the most appropriate types of tourism. or limit development in certain localities. Policies need to focus on those aspects of tourism Unfortunately, existing planning regulations are for which a country or destination has the great- not always enforced effectively, and in some est market advantage, taking into account mar- cases may be out-of-date or inadequate. For ket demand, available natural and cultural assets, example, the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 de- the capacity of local tourism businesses, and the stroyed large numbers of buildings, including wishes of the communities affected. For example, hotels, which were constructed in vulnerable Namibia has a national tourism policy focused on areas and insufficiently set back from the coast. attracting high-value, low-volume tourism based Inappropriate siting of construction can also on its unique landscapes, with tourism lodges

>> See Ramsar Handbook 2: National wetland policies

73 A last word

We have seen some of the many ways in which tourism industry. And finally, we’ve been able tourism can be enormously beneficial for both to consider the role of supportive legislation national and local governments and the com- and policy frameworks, clearly understood and munities living in and around wetlands and for reliably enforced, in providing the context the wetlands themselves. We have also seen, within which successful wetland tourism can however, that unless it is well-planned and well- grow and mature. managed, tourism can have very harmful impacts This brief review is not meant, however, to ex- upon the people involved, the ecosystem ser- plore these subjects in great depth or provide vices that wetlands provide for them, the wild- a step-by-step prescription for such success. life, and the natural beauty of the place. Given Rather, it has tried only to show that wetland con- the crucial importance of sustainability in tourist servation and modern tourism can be wedded in development and operations, we’ve reviewed ways that are mutually beneficial, and to point to examples of the successful incorporation of clear, the most important concepts that will repay fur- realistic plans and objectives, the involvement of ther investigation. Many of the resources listed a broad range of stakeholders in decision mak- in the following section will be helpful in that in- ing, the synergies that can be achieved through vestigation, and will surely lead on to additional collaboration amongst wetland managers, lo- resources elsewhere. cal communities and businesspeople, and the

74 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism A view of Korzok village by Lake Tsomoriri; one of the few highest permanent settlements in the world ©Pankaj Chandan / WWF-India

75 7. References and additional materials

References Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 2004. The CBD Guidelines on Ramsar Convention Secretariat. 2010. The Ramsar Handbooks for the wise biodiversity and tourism development. Secretariat of the Convention on use of wetlands, 4th ed. Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Gland, Switzerland. Biological Diversity, Montreal, Canada. http://www.cbd.int/tourism/ http://www.ramsar.org/handbooks4/ guidelines.shtml Ramsar Convention Secretariat. 2011. The Ramsar Convention Manual: a Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 2007. Users’ Manual on the CBD guide to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971). 5th ed. Ramsar Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development. Secretariat of the Convention Secretariat, Gland, Switzerland. http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/lib/ Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal, Canada. http://www.cbd.int/ manual5-2011-e.pdf doc/programmes/tourism/tourism-manual-en.pdf Republic of Mozambique, Ministry of Tourism. 2009. Tourism development EUROPARC Federation and ECEAT. 2012. Practical, profitable, protected: a plan for the Parque Nacional das Quirimbas, A general overview for starter guide to developing sustainable tourism in protected areas. http:// investors. www.europarc.org/uploaded/documents/896.pdf SPREP. 2012. Press Release, 17.03.2012 Global Sustainable Tourism Council. 2012. Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. http://www.sprep.org/biodiversity-ecosystems-management/ http://new.gstcouncil.org the-green-fee-supporting-conservation-efforts-in-palau

IUCN. 2008. Biodiversity: My hotel in action - a guide to sustainable use of TEEB . 2010. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Mainstreaming biological resources. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. http://data.iucn.org/dbtw- the Economics of Nature: A synthesis of the approach, conclusions and wpd/edocs/2012-012.pdf recommendations of TEEB. http://www.teebweb.org/Portals/25/TEEB%20 Synthesis/TEEB_SynthReport_09_2010_online.pdf IUCN. 2012. Siting and design of hotels and resorts. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2012-013.pdf UNEP. 2005. Forging links between protected areas and the tourism sector: How tourism can benefit conservation. UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Milliennium Ecosystem Assessment. 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well- Economics (DTIE). Production and Consumption Unit. Tourism Programme. being: Synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC. http://www.maweb.org/ Paris, France. http://www.unep.fr/shared/publications/pdf/DTIx0591xPA- documents/document.356.aspx.pdf ForgingLinks.pdf

Ministry of Environment and Tourism. 2007. The Economic value of UNEP. 2011. Towards a Green Economy: pathways to sustainable Namibia’s protected area system: a case for increased investment. http:// development and poverty eradication – Tourism: investing in energy and www.met.gov.na/Documents/The%20Economic%20Value%20of%20 resource efficiency. PART II: Investing in energy and resource efficiency: Namibia%27s%20Protected%20Area%20System%20with%20layout.pdf Tourism. http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy

OECD/United Nations Environment Programme. 2011. Climate Change UNEP-MAP: http://www.unepmap.org/index.php?module=content2&catid and Tourism Policy in OECD countries. OECD Studies on Tourism, OECD =001003&ocat_id=001003 Publishing. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/8/28/48681944.pdf

76 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism UNEP & CMS. 2006. Wildlife watching and tourism: a study of the benefits UNWTO press release, 7 May 2012. http://media.unwto.org/en/press-release and risks of a fast growing tourism activity and its impacts on species. UNEP/ CMS Secretariat, Bonn, Germany. http://www.cms.int/publications/pdf/ UNWTO & UNEP. 2008. Climate Change and Tourism - Responding to Global CMS_WildlifeWatching.pdf Challenges. UNEP and UNWTO. Madrid, Spain. http://www.unep.fr/shared/ publications/pdf/WEBx0142xPA-ClimateChangeandTourismGlobalChallen UNEP & UNWTO. 2005. Making tourism more sustainable: a guide for policy ges.pdf makers. UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE). Production and Consumption Unit. Tourism Programme. Paris, France. Van der Duim, R. & Henkens, R., 2007. Wetlands, poverty reduction and UNEP and UNWTO. Madrid, Spain. sustainable tourism development, opportunities and constraints. Wetlands International, Wageningen, The Netherlands. UNWTO. 2004. The Seven ST-EP Mechanisms. http://step.unwto.org/en/ content/seven-st-ep-mechanisms. WWF Corridor Newsletter 2/2011. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4wN4 gmJJqW4NzBiMTQ1Y2ItZTc1My00ZTBiLTgwOGQtOTNmM2MxODFmYzNi/ UNWTO. 2010a. Tourism and biodiversity – achieving common goals towards edit?hl=en&pli=1 sustainability. UNWTO. Madrid, Spain. WWF .2008. The tourist Climate Footprint,. Report on environmental UNWTO. 2010b. Manual on tourism and poverty alleviation – practical steps for impacts of holiday trips. http://www.wwf.it/UserFiles/File/WWF%20 destinations. UNWTO. Madrid, Spain. Turismo/Dossier/tourists_climate_footprint.pdf

UNWTO. 2011. Tourism towards 2030. UNWTO, Madrid, Spain.

UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2011 Edition. http://mkt.unwto.org/sites/all/ files/docpdf/unwtohighlights11enhr_3.pdf

Additional useful material AEWA. 2002. Technical Series No.22. AEWA Conservation Guidelines No. 7. UNEP. 2007. Tourism and mountains: a practical guide to managing the Guidelines on the development of ecotourism at wetlands. http://www. environmental and social impacts of mountain tours. http://www.unep.fr/ unep-aewa.org/publications/conservation_guidelines/pdf/cg_7new.pdf shared/publications/pdf/DTIx0957xPA-MountainsEN.pdf

Borges, M.A., Carbone, G., Bushell, R. and Jaeger, T. 2011. Sustainable tourism UNESCO. 2002. World Heritage Series n°1 - Managing tourism at World Heritage and natural World Heritage - priorities for action. Gland, Switzerlands: IUCN. Sites: a practical manual for World Heritage Site managers. http://whc.unesco. 29pp. http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2011-002.pdf org/en/documents/3181/

UNEP. 2006. Tourism and deserts: a practical guide to managing the social and environmental impacts in the desert recreation sector. http://www. unep.fr/shared/publications/pdf/DTIx0794xPA-TourismDesertEN.pdf

77 Annex The Case Studies: an overview of their natural features and tourist activities. The full texts of the case studies include considerable detail on the scale of tourism and how it is being managed. They can be viewed on the Ramsar website at www.ramsar.org/tourism

Wetland name Wetland features Types of tourism • 1,300,000 ha Ibera Marshes • ~ 17,100 visitors/year (in the Ramsar Site only) 1 • Ramsar Site no.1162 (24,550 ha) ARGENTINA • Boating, kayaking, hiking, nature trails, wildlife watching, horse riding • Lakes, marshes, river and forests • 1,979,766 ha • Ramsar Site no. 204 • ~ 175,000 – 225,000 visitors/year Kakadu National Park 2 • UNESCO World Heritage Site • interpretive walks, indigenous art tours, boat cruises, guided AUSTRALIA • Forested wetlands, saltmarsh, mudflats, springs, seasonal freshwater bushwalks marshes, mangroves • 91,300 ha • ~ 5,000 visitors/year Abrohlos Marine National Park 3 • Ramsar Site no. 1902 • Scuba diving, snorkeling, wildlife watching, short nature trail on one BRAZIL • Coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, beaches, sandbanks of the islands • ~ 16,000 visitors/year Humedal la Conejera • 59 ha 4 • Nature trails, guided walks, relaxation, participation in ecological COLOMBIA • River, marshland and forest enclave within urban area restoration • ~ 45,000 visitors/year • 39,639 ha Soomaa • Boardwalks, canoeing, guided walks, wildlife watching, cultural 5 • Ramsar Site no. 912 ESTONIA experience • Raised bogs, rivers, swamp forests, floodplain meadows

• 12,000 ha • ~ 20,000- visitors/year Tsomoriri 6 • Ramsar Site no. 1213 • wildlife watching, trekking, jeep safaris, home stays, cultural INDIA • High altitude freshwater lake and marshes experience, remote experience • 18,800 ha • Ramsar Site no. 476 • ~ 250,000 visitors/year Lake Nakuru 7 • UNESCO World Heritage Site • Wildlife watching, sightseeing tours, self-guided vehicle tours, trail KENYA • Shallow alkaline lake in an enclosed basin, surrounded by marshes, walks grassland and forest • 96,828 ha Tubbataha Reefs natural Park • Ramsar Site no. 1010 • ~ 1,400 visitors/year 8 PHILIPPINES • UNESCO World Heritage Site • Scuba diving • Coral reefs • 580,000 ha • ~ 50,000-73,000 visitors/year Danube Delta • Ramsar Site no. 521 (647,000 ha) • Floating hotels, boat trips, canoeing, wildlife watching, rural tourism 9 ROMANIA • River, delta, river and marine levees, floodplains, brackish lake and lagoon and home stays, fishing, photo safaris, beach tourism, local cultural complex, beaches, dunes and coastal waters experience, rest and relaxation, camping • 121 ha • ~ 4,000 visitors/year Port Launay Coastal Wetlands 10 • Ramsar Site no. 1432 • Beach tourism, canoeing, guided walks, sightseeing and beautiful SEYCHELLES • Mangroves, mud flats and streams sunsets • 41,300 ha • Ramsar Site no. 991 (650 ha) Skocjan Caves • ~ 95,000 – 100,000 visitors/year 11 • UNESCO World Heritage Site SLOVENIA • Cycling tours, educational trails, guided cave tours, walking • River catchment with meadows, forests, floodplains, karst underground water cave system • 12,600 ha • ~ 50,000 visitors/year Ichkeul • Ramsar Site no. 213 12 • Nature trails, guided excursions, birdwatching, sightseeing, caving, TUNISIA • UNESCO World Heritage Site hiking, horse and camel trekking • Lake surrounded by Mediterranean scrub and forest • 10,480 ha • ~24,000 visitors/year Ba-Be Lake 13 • Ramsar Site no. 1938 • Boat tours, homestays, guided tours, cultural experience, VIETNAM • Freshwater lake surrounded by forests and limestone karst landscape sightseeing, birdwatching • 621,000 ha Everglades • Ramsar Site no. 374 (566,143 ha) • ~ 1,000,000 visitors/year 14 UNITED STATES • UNESCO World Heritage Site • Canoeing, boat tours, elevated boardwalks, hiking trails, camping, OF AMERICA • Freshwater and wet prairies, sub-tropical forests, saltmarshes, mangrove wildlife watching, fishing, bicycle tours, houseboats forests, beach, dunes, brackish water estuaries

78 Destination Wetlands Supporting sustainable tourism

Ramsar Convention Secretariat World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Rue Mauverney 28 Capitán Haya 42 1196 Gland, Switzerland 28020 Madrid, Spain Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]